Being Weak

By Alli Sullivan

So for a little background to my new revelation, I’m currently living away from home, spending my gap year in South Africa. I’m away from everyone that truly knows me, and there is no reputation that precedes me.

Initially I thought this was going to be great. I was so excited to have a fresh start. It wasn’t that I really had some big bad reputation I needed to get away from, but I thought it would be a good challenge to see if I could function without the direct support from my family and friends.

After being here for about three months I started to feel very, very alone. And I started to feel really inadequate. If I didn’t hear from someone back home every day I would feel forgotten and abandoned. This made me feel really weak, something I never really felt before. One of my strengths was my self-confidence, the feeling that I was strong. But once I started to feel weak I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t have anyone here who knew how I worked and how to build me up in effective ways. And I was too proud to actually ask anyone for support because I had this big misconception that if I was to be strong no one could know that I was ever weak.

All the while I knew that I was being slightly ridiculous about the situation; I knew what the bible said about community, and I knew that I wasn’t pressured to be strong all the time. But I just couldn’t believe it. Until…

I came across a verse in 2 Corinthians 12. At the beginning part of the chapter Paul is talking about boasting, and how there have been many great things that have happened and it wouldn’t be wrong for him to boast because it’s the truth. But regardless of these great things there was a thorn in his side, and even though he asked God to remove it, God’s response was “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (v.9).

And that was it. God could smooth out all the bumps in our life and make everything wonderful so we would never struggle but it just isn’t necessary. His power can be highlighted in our weakness, so why would I ever wish to be strong on my own behalf when in my weakness I can let the perfect power of God take over?!

Paul continues to say, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 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” (v.9-10). So I’m going to go on boasting of my weaknesses so that when feats of strength are shown all the glory can go to my God. I am weak, and there is very little I can do in my own strength, but that’s perfect! Because in this place God can demonstrate His power.