Weakness = Strength?

Weakness is not ordinarily equated with strength. In the game of basketball it is profitable to identify and attack the weakness(es) of the opposing team. If your team’s center is Yao Ming and the opposing center is Calvin Booth, it would make sense to keep feeding the ball to Yao. Booth doesn’t stand a chance. Likewise, if Booth is your starting center and you are facing Yao, it would be prudent to avoid giving the ball to Booth. That’s almost a guaranteed turnover every time!

Just as in the game of basketball we are forced to make decisions about our weaknesses in everyday life. Often we tend to engage in activities that cater to our strengths just because it is the most comfortable and natural thing to do. It makes us look our best. Conversely, we tend to avoid our weaknesses because they make us feel uncomfortable and have an excellent chance of making us look something much less than our best. Our culture is geared toward focusing on our strengths and attacking other’s weaknesses. It is how one gets ahead in life.

I’m going to make the jump to the Christian life where things are not always as they appear. Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 hit me this morning. Verse 10, in particular, stood out to me. It says, “Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” (NET) How often are we able to say that we are content with any of the above? These are the kinds of things from which we run on a daily basis. Whatever makes us uncomfortable leads us to run for comfort. Whatever makes us appear less than our best sends us running for what makes us look our best. Paul turns this idea upside-down, saying that our weakness is our strength. From a human perspective this seems like a foolish statement. Our strength in weakness actually doesn’t even come from ourselves. It comes from God. He makes us strong in our weakness. He does this so that he is glorified.

When our weakness is a strength, then it is clearly God who is working. He is strong in every area. His strength is most evident in areas that we are weak. Today I am challenged to think about things from which I run. From what important activities do I typically shy away due to weakness? If I’m running from things that God has commanded me to do, chances are I’m relying on my own strength. Certainly, I can ask God to take away my weakness, but God does not guarantee that he will. Paul did this very thing. He asked God to rid him of his weakness (12:8). God said, “my grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (12:9)

Because of this, Paul goes so far as to say, “I will boast most gladly of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may reside in me.” (12:9) Who boasts about their weaknesses? Only one who trusts that God is strong enough for the task. This is foolish thought for those who do not believe in Christ. To return to our NBA example, no team ever broadcasts (boasts) their weaknesses. They hope that the weaknesses go unnoticed and unexploited. They train endlessly to fix their weaknesses and turn them into strengths. They leave the discovery of their weaknesses up to brilliant coaches and players who pour over hours of game film. As Christians we can do what seems absurd and boast in our weakness, because we have a strength that comes not from willpower or self-reliance, but from God’s grace. I would much rather rely on that strength than my own. The tricky part is to identify the areas of weakness from which I should not be running. By now I have probably become masterful at disguising them.