Weakness is Strength
Are you comfortable with your weaknesses?
Verse of the Day
‘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. ‘
Today’s Devotional
As we study contentment, I think I’ve got it a little wrong in my brain. I think contentment, like joy, is a posture of my heart and a choice that I must continually make. Contentment is not an emotion, not a warm fuzzy feeling. But I never have a day that is really covered up with my weaknesses and I say, “Ahhh…I am so content right now.” But Paul does.
If you’ve ever had a teenager in your home, you know that they are in a pretty consistent struggle and desire to get out from under the daily rule of their parents. They long for freedom. They want to make their own choices. And then…they leave. In my experience, it does not take very long before they need something from Mom and Dad. Guidance, money, relationship advice, money; they figure out pretty quickly that they don’t have all the answers. Once they figure out that guidance is necessary and helpful, it starts to break down the walls of resistance for future guidance. Maybe that’s what God is trying to get us adults to learn with Him.
The difference between the above scenario and our relationship with God is that there is never a time when we don’t need Him, unlike how children finally grow to the point where they don’t actually need anything from their parents. But do you think we forget that? What if Christianity is never supposed to be easy so that we are always aware of our need for God? Here is what one commentary says: “Many harbor a longing for the day when the Christian life will become “easy.” We hope for a time when the major struggles with sin are behind us, and now we go on to bigger and better things without much of a struggle. That day is an illusion. If the Apostle Paul himself constantly experienced weakness, who are we to think that we will surpass him?”
While I don’t enjoy struggles and difficulties, I do recognize how much they drive me into the Father’s arms. I do find contentment in God’s control. The more I trust Him, the more I can be content with whatever happens.
I took a step of obedience last night that felt like a pretty big deal to me. It made me nervous and excited and uncomfortable. It brought out all the feelings. This morning, those feelings were leaking out of my eyes. As I talked to some trusted people, they pointed out that I was rolling around in fear. The kind of fear that doesn’t make sense if you feel that your actions are part of God’s direction for your life right now. So today, for the sake of Jesus and my very strong desire to follow Him, I present to you my fear. It is my weakness in this moment. It is raw and feels real. But…the fear is a lie. It is the devil trying to get me not to be obedient and reminding of ALL the reasons to be scared. It is a reminder of my humanness and my need for God. So I am grateful that I am weak. Because then, when I continue to be obedient, God gets all the glory.
Taking a few minutes of down time when I got home from work, I looked on social media. I was spent and tired because emotions are very draining, especially the negative ones. I saw two quotes that I leave you with today.
“Bravery isn’t so much a choice as it is a willingness to do the hard things even when we are scared.”
“The goal of the “Quest of Faith” is not to be fearless. It’s to know you are never, ever Christ-less.”
God is good. I am weak. He is strong.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Where do you consider yourself weak?
How can you allow Jesus to be your strength in that area of your life today?
How can you choose to be content with your weakness and difficulties because it drives you back to the Father’s arms?