It seems like our American culture pounds us with messages to camouflage weakness, to vindicate contempt, to thwart persecution, to detour around frustration, and to blame away hardship.
Juxtapose this-worldly message with God’s message to be content, to find joyful fulfillment in making even the most painful weaknesses a conduit of service to Him.
When I am at my worst, I want to criticize, be vindictive, and play the blame game. In the middle of the dark core of my sanctimonious frustration is the realization that I’ve been misrepresented and miss-characterized. This false story about me feels like I’m standing on the lip of a precipitous canyon yelling my truth, but the echo returning bounces back distorted.
God tells us to be content. Don’t panic. Continue to stand firm in your truth! For when we are at our wit’s end is the first step in God’s wisdom. Claim your weakness, contempt, persecution, frustration, and hardship. Persist in yelling your story over the empty chasm of the world’s distorted expectations. God will echo back His truth in a way that will be clear not only to you but to others as well. He will re-make your confused weakness into a shout of worship reverberating against the canyon walls of your life.
What weakness of yours is God transforming?
My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.