“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, 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)

Strength in Weakness

The idea of boasting about weaknesses in sports is very strange. Every game, coaches design a strategy with the goal of exploiting the other team’s weaknesses. General managers spend the offseason and trade deadline assessing their team’s roster trying to see who might be available to address its holes. Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of potential draft picks is a key part of the evaluation process.

However, that’s exactly what we’re supposed to do as Christians! Through all the trails and tribulations of his life, Paul finds joy in his suffering time and time again. He realized that no matter what he’s going through Christ’s grace and love will always be enough. Only when we die to ourselves can God be in full control of our lives.

The times when we are at our most vulnerable and really open ourselves up to God are the times when His power is at its strongest inside us. By surrendering to God, we allow Him to come and fill the missing pieces in our lives, which in turn makes us stronger. When it might appear that we are weak, we are really strong because of the grace and power of God!

– Joshua Doering