It's okay to be weak.

In the last several posts, I have championed strength.  As a matter of fact, I'm in the middle of another Spirit-filled post about victory.  However, as I reflected today on the weakness I have in my physical body (courtesy of this season's version of "flu"), I realized, it's okay to feel weak and vulnerable and still have strength within you.

Many of us have quoted Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9  (I have often quoted it, myself):

"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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 

But oftentimes, we leave out verse 10, which completes Paul's thought:

"For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

So what does it mean to be weak?  Is it a negative thing?  Perhaps by the world's standards.   Professor Google defines the term as "(1) lacking the power to perform physically demanding tasks; lacking physical strength and energy, or (2) liable to break or give way under pressure; easily damaged."  In society, showing mercy is considered weak, being honest can make you the "weak link," and being physically lacking often is used to describe a person as a whole as "weak."

But, if being weak is lacking in the world, how much more is it desired in the Kingdom of God?

If we are not weak (vulnerable), we cannot be broken and molded.

Jeremiah 3-4:

So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. "And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the Lord came to me:  “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.

If we are not weak, we cannot we be restored and made whole.

Luke 5:5-9 

One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”  “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking!

If we are not weak (vulnerable), our hearts cannot be open to God's plan:

Luke 1:35-38

"And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her."

Yes, God's mighty power is made greater in our weakness, but perhaps it's when we are willing to be weak, that God can do His greatest work in and through us.  As I have written before, it is through surrender that we gain our greatest blessings and power.  When "we end," Christ begins!  It is in and through right standing in God that we have the ability to tap into our inheritance in Christ.  And, Christ freely gave that right to us at His most vulnerable point in life, His death on the cross.

Strength in Christ is essential and being a warrior in God's army requires a lot of spiritual fortitude.  Yet, even warriors must show their weaknesses from time to time.  It's how truces are made.  Yet, they never lose their edge, their confidence, their readiness, or their focus.  Instead, they let the softer side of themselves be used for a greater purpose. 

Whatever weakness you find yourself in today, rest in knowing that God's grace is sufficient for you and He will carry you forth as long as you take the time to rest in His loving kindness and let Him turn your weakness into His glory.