The Strength in being Weak

We are all ashamed of revealing our weaknesses in our lives. When we think of great leaders, we think of them as strong persons, people of great determination, people of great intelligence or people of great strength. Mythologies and folk–tales are full of stories of heroes and knights of great valor. But then, not everyone in this world is always strong or courageous. Not everyone in this world is intelligent or wise. Not everyone in this world is smart or handsome. In that case, those who are weak, do they have no hope, no place in the society? The answer is – they do. They have a very special place in the society for they are the ones who are strong though they are weak. In the Bible, Apostle Paul says, "For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10). What does this mean? It means that weakness is something we sometimes can be grateful of for God can work through us. Why was Apostle Paul happy and proud in being weak? There is a deep meaning inside this. When he said, "there was a thorn in my flesh" he was referring to Satan who gave him inexplicable suffering and torment. This suffering can be in forms of persecutions and insults that he had to bear for carrying the Cross of the Lord. In any case, whatever it was, it gave him great agony and he prayed. What was God's reply then? "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9). It means that God’s power is made perfect in the weakness of a man. If a man was perfect and strong then he cannot connect to God. Whenever he will do something, he will always try to do it by his own ability and not pray to God or ask Him to give him strength. He will not ask God to guide him or lead him. It is like saying that a sick man seeks a doctor, a healthy one does not. It was the sinners who sought Jesus, not the righteous. Because we are insufficient, we seek God and we need God. God does not look at our weaknesses as a fault. Rather, those who are weak are very special in his eyes. Will not a mother take special care of her weak or sick child? If we acknowledge our weaknesses to God, we do not become arrogant. Not acknowledging our weaknesses makes us arrogant. Apostle Paul's awareness of the Lord made him realize that man is finite, that man's weakness is not a fault. In our walk of faith, Satan assails us, always pointing out our weaknesses and making us fall into despair. Satan makes us think that we are unfit and makes us feel ashamed of ourselves. But we must always remember that God does not look at our weaknesses as weaknesses. Rather we are very special in His eyes. Why? Because when we acknowledge our weaknesses to Him, we humble ourselves before Him. And when we humble ourselves before Him, we can connect to Him. In the eyes of a mother, her child is most beautiful. What does it mean? It means that God looks at our insufficiencies and weaknesses as beautiful and He will love us and protect us and guide us even more. When we are insufficient and surrender ourselves to God absolutely, we will lead a better life than those who are arrogant. Apostle Paul prayed three times (2 Corinthians 12:8). It reveals how weak and tense he was. And it was this prayer that allowed him to seek God and connect to Him. If Apostle Paul had not been weak, he would not have prayed. If he had not prayed, he would not have connected to God. In Philippians 3:12–14, Apostle Paul also acknowledges that he is not perfect but is striving towards it. No one is born perfect. Perfection is a process; each step taken towards it is very precious. If we look deep into the secret life of any great leader, we will find that he or she is also not prefect. Leaders are not born great, they become great. How? They are the ones who are the first to acknowledge and recognize their weaknesses and turn them into their strengths.

The image of Apostle Paul should be the attitude of every person, every Christian. The process is as important as the goal of achieving perfection. The way we lead our lives is as important as the goals that we set. We should not only think that what is perfect is beautiful. We should not only have the heart to accept our weaknesses but also the weaknesses of others. God does not judge us by our weaknesses. Rather he guides us and sees how we lead our lives to overcome those weaknesses. In Philippians, Apostle Paul says that it was Christ who took hold of his life. This attitude is very beautiful and great. When we walk ahead in our lives with the positive attitude of acknowledging our weaknesses and trying to overcome them, we will connect to God. And it is then that God can work through our weaknesses and turn them into our strengths. Let us be the ones who are not ashamed to acknowledge our weaknesses. Let us reveal our courage by admitting our weaknesses and overcoming them. By acknowledging our weaknesses we can realize God’s love, grace and mercy. When we are weak, then we can become strong. When we are humble, then we can become exalted. Let us lead our lives always remembering this.

Surojit Chatterjee