“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” II Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV)
If there is one thing I have learned about people in my lifetime, it’s this: we don’t like to expose our weaknesses to others. It is unfortunate, because we all have them. I have to remind myself of this daily. The mom blogger who has a perfect Pinterest board and bakes organic cookies for her kids every day? Yeah, she has a weakness. The pastor at that megachurch who leads people to Christ by the hundreds every year? He has a weakness too!
I struggled with this for many years.
Our culture places a strong emphasis on appearances and looking good. Social media has given us a glimpse into the lives of people who seem like they have it all together. They have perfect bodies, perfect families, perfect jobs, perfect relationships with Christ…you get the picture. For those of us who are “mere mortals,” it can be discouraging. It is hard not to compare ourselves to other people, but we aren’t getting the full picture of any of those social media celebrities, or even our friends and family.
My life went off the rails several years ago when I went through a trying time with my extra needs children. After I started down that track, I was in a low impact car accident that caused significantly more health problems than I thought it would. I spiraled into a depression because I thought there was something wrong with my faith. After all, I “should” have it all together. I had my faith and my authority in Christ.
Once I allowed myself to get stuck in the mire for far too long, I started sharing my weaknesses with others. When I started speaking up, do you know what? People identified! People I looked up to and admired were going through their own “stuff.” Marital problems, depression, health issues, wayward children. Really horrible, heartbreaking stuff.
What that experience taught me is that I believe there was something more to what Paul was saying in this verse. While he told the Corinthian church he wanted to boast in his infirmities so he wouldn’t be exalted too high, I think the reverse can also be true.
We need to speak up about our weaknesses and infirmities so that our brothers and sisters in Christ can lift us up when we’re brought low.
One of my favorite Old Testament stories comes from Exodus. In chapter 17, we learn of a battle that took place between the Israelites and the Amalekites. As the battle raged below them, Moses, Aaron, and Hur went onto a hill overlooking the soldiers. When Moses raised his hand the battle would turn in favor of Israel, and when he dropped it, the Amalekites would begin to win. Verse 12 says, “But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.” (NKJV)
As the body of Christ, we have to be prepared to hold up each other’s hands when we need it. We will all face battles in our lives. It is an inevitable part of living in a sinful, fallen world. Part of God’s strength lies in His church. Galatians 6:2 tells us we are to, “Bear one another’s burdens.” (NKJV) We can’t do that for each other if we’re hiding our weaknesses from each other.
The next time you’re tempted to look at someone else and think they have it more together than you do, remember that none of us are perfect. We’re all in need of our Savior, and it is in Him that we can find our strength. Be wise in your sharing, but let others you trust hold up your arms during those intense battles so the enemy can’t isolate you and take you out of the fight.
