After 20 years in youth ministry, my husband has weathered his fair share of injuries on the job. Most recently, he was involved in a competitive outdoor game when he twisted his foot. Playing through the pain, he conceded to his injury only after winning the contest. He limped to a nearby place to sit down and carefully remove his sock, only to see his ankle quickly swelling past the size of an orange. A trip to the hospital revealed it wasn’t broken, but he soon realized it would take time before his foot could bear weight once again.
Pain often serves as a reminder of our limitations. To those of us who pride ourselves on our independence and feel most comfortable being in control, we don’t relish the pain when it reminds us we’re vulnerable. Instead of admitting our need, we “play through the pain,” if not to convince ourselves then to assure others that we can handle whatever comes our way. No one likes to feel weak.
The whole crux of the gospel, however, rests on our desperate need and the insufficiency of our own resources. Pride keeps us from admitting our needs, much less our failures. But until we’re willing to deal with those things, we cut ourselves off from the fullness of the power of Christ in our lives.
Strength for the believer looks far different than what the world professes. “[Jesus] gave up His divine privileges . . . and was born as a human being” (Philippians 2:7) in the greatest show of power the heavens have ever witnessed (2 Corinthians 13:4). We gain strength when we see difficulties—and our weaknesses—as a means for His power to be at work in us (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
It’s the difference between limping and running (Isaiah 40:29-31).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Job 42:1-17
More:
Read Isaiah 35 to discover why we can experience joy even as we see and acknowledge our own inadequacies.
Next:
How does the world’s definition of strength differ from the one found in the Word of God? In what areas of life have you been limping on an old wound rather than admitting your weakness and hurt to the Lord?
eppistle on May 11, 2011 at 5:44 am
Thank God for our strengths and our weaknesses. We can’t boast of our strengths, because we received them from the Lord (I Cor. 4:7). We can delight in our weaknesses because they can remind us of our need for God and can cause us to rely on Him more (2 Cor. 12:7-10). So it doesn’t matter what our portfolio of strengths and weaknesses are in our lives. What matters is how we respond to those strengths and weaknesses, and how we use them for the Lord. “Only one life will soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”
AManofGod on May 11, 2011 at 6:35 am
This brings to mind Isaiah 40:31. In it we read:
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
When we rely on our own strength we will surely get weary and fail. The Lord has more than sufficient strength for us all. We just need to ask! In all my trials and tribulations I am shown proof of just how limited my own abilities really are…..thank goodness I serve a Lord who has infinite ability!
AManofGod
winn collier on May 11, 2011 at 9:52 pm
I believe it was Pascal who said that God speaks to us primarily through pain and beauty. I know I’ve experienced both.