The Mystery of Weakness

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9)

The last few weeks have been weeks of much weakness for me. The demands on my time have been significantly larger than the number of hours available in each day. Doing has taken over my being. As a result, my heart has suffered from numbness and isolation, and my mind has suffered from anxiety and frustration. My joy and my passion have been sapped.

And then I read stuff like the verse above and it really bugs me. Everything inside me screams, “I can’t afford to be weak, I need to be strong!” I really hate my weakness and Jesus just has the audacity to say that I need to embrace it? Really, just like that??

Yes. Just. Like. That.

If I sit back and reflect on my life, I remember so many times when in one way or another I was at the end of myself. And those moments were precisely the ones when God came through and beautifully worked. His strength was indeed made perfect in my weakness. So why do I resent being weak and having to trust Him so much? Why, even though I have confidence that God had called me to the work I am doing today, somehow I think I have to do it on my own strength and if I can’t, that means I am a failure? Why does it take a mental and emotional burnout for me to finally start surrendering and coming to God with my empty cup?

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness”.

My heart so wants to believe this and live this out, but my flesh is weak.  Oh wait, that’s the point…