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 12:10 (NIV)

Whenever I read Paul’s declaration, “For when I am weak, then I am strong,” my mind goes back to a poem I wrote in 1998, Weak. When I wrote that poem it would be many years before I would come to know the Lord. At the time, I believed that acknowledging my weaknesses and vulnerabilities made me stronger because I wasn’t lying to myself by ignoring them. I was embracing them, and therefore, I was somehow conquering them. Therefore, when I was weak, I was strong because I was facing my weakness head-on. All of that might have sounded good then, but to me, today, without God, I see it as prideful and ignorant.

Within a year or so of writing Weak, I tried to kill myself. How was that for facing my weaknesses and vulnerabilities? There’s nothing wrong with acknowledging our weakness and vulnerability. However, we must recognize where our strength lies. Back then, when I wrote Weak, I found strength in my shared humanity. I believed, much like those who built the tower of Babel, that we, as human beings, could do anything we set our minds to together. I suppose I had taken something my parents used to tell me, “You can do anything you set your mind to,” and ran with it.

The thing is though, we can’t do everything we put our mind to. I used to believe that nothing was impossible for me if I tried hard enough to accomplish it. The problem was that I was weak. I was weak because of pride in myself. There’s a lot that can be said for pride, and I wouldn’t expect to see it as being weak. But it is. I know empires have risen, nations conquered, and the world changed by the strength of pride. However, when it comes down to it, where is the strength in pride? Upon what foundation has it been built upon? “I have done it before I can do it again,” sounds familiar to me, and might be a foundation to build upon. Is it strong? Can it pass the test of time? Does it prevail in the darkness? Can it bear the pressure of hope?

Pride is a drug, like crack cocaine, that is never satisfied. The more we strive for excellence in our own strength, the more we expect it from ourselves, and when we fail, the harder it is to accept the failure. Pride tells us if we keep on going, we’ll win. Never give up, never surrender, and all of that sort of nonsense.

However, when we place our faith and trust in God, we can stand strong in our weaknesses. Even in our greatest strength, it is nothing compared to God at His weakest. When we humbly declare we cannot do it. We cannot rescue ourselves. We cannot save and deliver ourselves. We cannot add one minute to our own lives. Our very breath and life come, not from our will, but from God’s will. On our own, we can do nothing. When we surrender everything to God and give our lives up to Him, we will find new life in Him.

Then, in the face of weakness, insults, hardships, persecution, and difficulty, we too can declare, “When I am weak, then I am strong.”

Do you know God? God knows you, and He loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, right now, and He wants you to know Him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so we could be free of guilt, be freed from death, and live eternally with Him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.

Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation today:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment, and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.

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