"..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 of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ will rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
I love this scripture because it addresses something that many of us like to ignore, and that is our weaknesses.
We don't like to look at the things that are wrong with us or that we don't like, instead we prefer to pretend like they don't exist.
This tendency to ignore our flaws may come from a place of pride or maybe even shame. We want to avoid our weaknesses, we don't want to see them in ourselves, and we definitely don't want to tell other people about them. But here is the problem with this way of thinking...it is simply not sustainable. Because the truth of the matter is...we all have weaknesses. You and I are born with weaknesses and pretending like they aren't there doesn't make them go away. It isn't about lying to yourself about your weaknesses, rather it is about confronting your weaknesses head on, bringing them into the light, and stepping back to watch what God does with them.
Though you might not think so, God has a purpose, even for your deficiencies. He didn't create us to be perfect. We are reminded of this when we read the apostle Paul's letter. Jesus said His power is made perfect in our weakness. You often hear about turning your struggles into your testimony but, what does that look like? How do we get there and learn to glorify God in our weaknesses?
Own It
It's easy to praise God for all the talent he has given you for His kingdom but its not always as easy to look at ourselves and admit where we are weak. It kind of goes against our very nature. We are told by the world that we should hide our weakness and "fake it till we make it" but, the apostle Paul said "I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses!"
Step Aside
After you acknowledge your weakness, pray and ask God to be your strength. Where you are weak, He is strong, filling in the gaps you leave and reinforcing you with the strength you don't have on your own. When you step aside and let him work in you and shine through your flaws, you open the door for others to witnesses His goodness.
Trust the Lord
God chooses to work in the places where we fall short. This is so that He gets the well deserved credit for turning something horrible into something beautiful and strong. Be patient with yourself and let God do his work. Do what it takes for Him to guide you by being in the word and having open communication through prayer. Let Him know that you recognize where you are weak and ask Him to work in those spaces for his Glory and the good of you and those around you. Let Him know your concerns and trust that He will work it out in the end.
Talk About It
Share your testimony! God wants to use your struggles as a way to show his incredible power to transform. If you are too proud to admit you struggle, how will others know the potential of God to work through their own pain? If He can do it for you, He can do it for others, and He wants to use your story to reach their hearts. Don't be ashamed or afraid to share where you are weak, because those are the very words that will inspire and instill hope into others.
Where you lack, God provides.
Don't let the temptation to pretend like you are superwoman keep you from letting God's glory shine through you. Boast in your weaknesses so that people will know that it is God who has done great works in your life. This is the amazing part of being a Christian!!! There is literally no need to be perfect...actually the only way to become a Christian is to admit that you don't have it all together. You came into faith because you admitted that you needed God and that you were weak without Him, so why try to pretend like you have it all together now? No one needs you to be perfect. All the world needs from you is an honest and open heart that is willing to give God all the glory!