We seem to believe that to show weakness is inappropriate. At church we put on this persona that all is well in our lives, often masking our struggles from our church families; as if admitting that we are struggling is to admit that we are failing God. Yet God’s Word indicates that struggle and weakness are not manifestations of failure; but powerful tools to use in our faith journey. The Bible, time and time again, shows us how God works with people and their weaknesses.
One instance came when Abraham showed weakness when he and Sarah decided that he would have a child with another woman because they did not have enough faith that God would provide them with their own child, as He had promised. In due time, God fulfilled His promise. Abraham learned from that, and his faith grew.
The way Abraham handled this situation is a great example of how taking weakness turned to strength may not always come from a weakness that’s out of our control. However, when we take our lives in our own hands, especially when God has told us he will provide what we have been wanting so badly, that’s when we are presented with two opportunities. We can keep relying on ourselves or we can trust God each day knowing the battle is going to be hard to win, but when we put our our faith in God he will not fail us.
Abraham chose to deal with it himself which is not the kind of weakness we should emulate, however, God always fulfills his promises. Now, after God provided, Abraham continued to grow in his faith and trust of God, and years after the birth of Isaac Abraham is put to the ultimate test. As it would seem to Abraham, God wants him to sacrifice Isaac, and he is willing to do that because he had faith that whatever God had planned would still include the promise he made to Abraham. (Gen. 22).
This is where weakness becoming strength takes on value to me. We will all make mistakes, but when we are weak and do things that wouldn’t make God proud that doesn’t mean you stop there and ask forgiveness and forget it happened. We can use Abraham as an example because when he made his mistake and became weak he didn’t stop there. He chose to continue to try and become a better Man of God.
As a result, when we reach Genesis 22 we are greeted by a man filled with God’s strength instead of a man field with weakness because he got tired of trusting in God’s timing. Sharing our mistakes and weaknesses doesn’t make us weaker. On the contrary, it’s when we share our weaknesses and mistakes that God is able to use us.
Jesus, before He was crucified, was strengthened by the angels because His turmoil about what was ahead was so great that He literally sweated blood. God is not deterred by our weakness. In fact in 2 Corinthians 12:9 God tells us that His power is made perfect in weakness.
When the lost come to church and see others living what they perceive to be perfect lives, it deters them because they don’t believe they can ever live up to that standard. By leaving out the undesirable parts of our story, we may be unintentionally confirming to unbelievers that t become a Christian they must be perfect. When we share our struggles, others understand that we are people they can relate to. Sharing our weaknesses and failures gives us opportunities to show that we can all rely on God who loves us in spite of our flaws.
Church should be a place we feel comfortable sharing our struggles because we know when we do people will support, encourage, and keep us accountable during our struggle. Paul says in verse 10 that he will delight in his weaknesses, because when he is weak then he is made strong.
How do we delight in weaknesses and struggles? First we realize that it is in these moments of weaknesses that God has the most to teach us. Alas, it is in hard times that we truly turn to God. We must choose each day whether or not we are going to let our weaknesses define us, or if we are going to learn from them. We could ignore our weaknesses, but the problem is still there.
Again, how do we truly learn to delight in weakness? We memorize and read God’s Word and search for Him. We must be willing to share how God is using our struggles to more deeply develop our relationship with Him. God sees our weaknesses as potential. We must find someone who can keep us accountable and encourage us on tough days.
Last, but not least, know that God will strengthen us. Through Him, no obstacle is insurmountable.
Kristie Webb
Guest Writer
I grew up in the church. My dad was a youth minister till I went to high school. I got saved around the age of seven. I remember bits and pieces of talking to my mom and sister about accepting Jesus as my Savior, I remember being so excited to profess my faith in Jesus Christ that I almost ran out of the pews before the music started. Last, I remember practicing what we would do when we got baptized. I grew up doing Bible Drills. After my dad resigned from his job, I felt angry and lost. I will admit that I was confused and mad at God. Around age 14, I started showing symptoms of what I would find out 7 years later is a 1 or 2 in a million rare disorder called Stiff Person Syndrome, SPS. My faith has been my stronghold through all this on no small part because of Bible Drills, and my decision to continue to memorize God’s word. Having the word memorized in my heart is like having a constant hug from Jesus available at a moment’s notice. I love to sing, play the trumpet, and recently I have taken to photography. I write devotionals when the Lord leads me in the right direction for one. I worked hard to finish my degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry, and I am proud to say I did just that. I have not, however, been able to hold down a job due to my unpredictable disorder. At the moment, God is showing me that my passion is for advocating for rare diseases. In everything that I do, I try to honor God. I was in the orchestra at my church for years, and was a part of the children’s group for many years. I am in a sort of limbo right now, due to the pandemic, but after all I’ve been through, I still can find God in every situation.
Loved this post Kristie!
Wonderful post Kristie!
I love this!