“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9, 10
Weak: lacking strength, not able to resist external force or withstand attack, not able to withstand temptation
Strong: not weak, not easily subdued or taken, well established, having or marked by great power
I’ve been thinking about weakness and strength lately. Is what I consider strength actually considered weakness by God? And vice versa. Is what I consider weakness actually strength in God’s eyes?
What do I consider strength? There are people who ‘look’ as if they have it all together. Nothing seems to phase them. They appear confident, able to handle any situation – strong. But are they really strong? There are people who will not admit they have any weaknesses at all. But nobody is perfect. Is this a strength or a weakness? Is it actually a strength to be able to admit that you have weaknesses and to be able to face them honestly? Do I want anyone to know I have weaknesses? Not really. Why? Because of my insecurities? Is it a strength to be able to admit my weaknesses to others and to ask for help when I need it? Is it a weakness to try to do everything on your own and never admit when you need others?
I think the world’s perception of strength and God’s definition of strength are two very different things. Paul delighted in his weakness. Why would he do that? No one in this society would think that is a strength. But our Source of strength is not ourselves; it’s Christ. It’s very easy to do things in our own human strength in the areas that we are strong. It’s very hard to do things in our own strength in the areas that we are weak. I think that’s why Paul boasted in his weakness – because he didn’t want to be functioning under his own strength, but under Christ’s power, which is by far the better and more effective way of living.
Incidentally, I have a thought about Paul’s boasting in “insults, hardships, persecutions, difficulties”. I always thought he was boasting about having to suffer. But I don’t think that’s it. When we face insults, hardships, persecutions, difficulties (when things are not running smoothly), all the weaknesses that we try to hide and cover up are very quickly exposed. It’s in those situations that we find our strength in Christ and not in ourselves.