Recently a minister in my church talked about how some anti-Christianity folks will say things like, "church is only for weak people," and then he proceeded to refute this line of thinking. I disagree with him, though. Church is for weak people. But here's the thing: we're all weak! Unfortunately, we are trained from a very young age to see weakness as a bad thing and something to be overcome, or at the very least, hidden.
We are bombarded with messages about how "powerful" and self-sufficient we are, how all we really need we already have within ourselves (man, what nonsense!), all because we are afraid to admit we really don't have all the answers and that we really do need all the help we can get.
In the past few weeks since my mom died, I have seen just how weak I can be. It hasn't been pretty; and, I am definitely not proud. (Good thing the only way to truly fail is to give up!) This, though, is where I turn to God's view of weakness:
...but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say. To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 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 12:5-10
Maybe church really is only for weak people (everyone) but the only people who become part of one are those who admit it (few).
Am I weak? Oh heck yeah! Sadly, I can't say I've gotten to the point where I delight in that fact yet; but hey...I'm learning. :)
We are bombarded with messages about how "powerful" and self-sufficient we are, how all we really need we already have within ourselves (man, what nonsense!), all because we are afraid to admit we really don't have all the answers and that we really do need all the help we can get.
In the past few weeks since my mom died, I have seen just how weak I can be. It hasn't been pretty; and, I am definitely not proud. (Good thing the only way to truly fail is to give up!) This, though, is where I turn to God's view of weakness:
...but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say. To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 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 12:5-10
Maybe church really is only for weak people (everyone) but the only people who become part of one are those who admit it (few).
Am I weak? Oh heck yeah! Sadly, I can't say I've gotten to the point where I delight in that fact yet; but hey...I'm learning. :)
