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Jun 29, 2025 06:00am

Weakness

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Growing up, I often was perplexed by how my mentors in the faith radiated joy, peace, and faith on a consistent basis.

Their facial and word expressions often spoke only of the greatness and faithfulness of God. This confused me.

I served the same Lord and seemed to be weighed down, anxious, and feeling many things; joy not being one of them.

I told myself for many years that because these women had been serving the Lord longer, harsh emotions, thoughts, and circumstances did not touch them.

I convinced myself that they instead now floated in a spiritual cloud, unscathed by the realities of life.

I often felt guilty I had not arrived and ascended to the same cloud. I questioned how in the world I would ever get there.

As I mature in the faith, I’ve discovered their secret: weakness.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Paul writes, “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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 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.”

That’s a paradox if I’ve ever heard one.

Several years ago, I started my health journey. For my physical and mental wellness, I started taking my dog for walks.

I remember our early walks. He’d have his tongue out to the side, happily flapping in the breeze. My calves would burn as I’d huff and puff and question if his happiness was worth it, as I certainly felt weaker, not stronger.

Admittedly, there were days when my legs hurt, and therefore I would avoid walking.

My early days walking with the Lord, I felt—and often did—the same. When feeling the resistance, despite the prayer, worship songs, etc., I’d stop walking.

Instead, I’d become controlled and paralyzed by my emotions and circumstances.

This morning, my dog and I took a long walk around our neighborhood. His tongue and tail wagged for joy. I’m happy to report my calves did not burn; no huffing, or puffing, or blowing anything down.

The difference is that now I’ve had years of resistance training.

Years of choosing to press in when resistance told me to tap out.

In order for us to grow spiritually up and into Christ, we have to make the same choice.

We first must remember God’s purpose in resistance.

Romans 8:28-29, “And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

God’s goal is conforming us into the image of His Son, Jesus—the One who remained steadfast as He admitted His weakness and abided in the Lord, allowing God’s power to be perfected in Him.

We often don’t think of Jesus as weak, but Hebrews tells us that He was made like us in every way so that He can empathize with our weakness. Though Jesus was fully God, He was also fully man.

A good example of Jesus demonstrating abiding in His weakness and experiencing God’s power perfected is Matthew 26:41 when Jesus tells His disciples, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Following this verse, we see Jesus go to God in prayer a second time in His emotional weakness and pray that God would let the cup of His judgment pass from Him, but nonetheless His will be done.

These prayers allowed God to meet Jesus exactly where He was, His grace to become sufficient, and His power was perfected as Jesus prepared to overcome sin and death on the cross.

In the same way, we must choose to admit when the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak and allow God and His power to meet us there.

I’ve found the words of Megan Fate Marshman to be true: “God cannot meet you where you’re not, but He will meet you where you are.”

Second, we must recognize it’s okay—and does not make us unspiritual—to feel and think all.the.things.

It’s what we do with our emotions and thoughts that matters.

I was talking with a former Sunday School student recently who said, “I’ve been thinking about how most worship songs focus on us, not Christ.”

Sadly, this is so very true. Many “worship” songs seek to elevate our struggle or even ourselves being “strong enough” in and of ourselves versus elevating the power of Christ that’s present always—even in our weaknesses.

Instead of singing songs that elevate the struggle and praying prayers that seek to give us strength, we must lay aside every weight as we fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

By meditating on His character and His Word, we are strengthened by His Spirit—not with a physical strength to rise above emotion and “float on the clouds,” but a spiritual strength to endure.

My mentors’ hearts and lives were living proof of Nehemiah 8:10. They were not ungrieved because they floated above feeling grief, but instead because the joy of the Lord was their strength through the grief and struggles of life.

As we admit our weaknesses to the Lord, it’s then that the power of God, which is the Holy Spirit, may meet us, rest on us, and be perfected in us.

That’s the secret sauce.