Redefining Strong: 3 Ways Weakness Equals Strength
“How strong are you?”
I used to ask my children this when they were young. They answered in the cute way of showing off their little biceps.
But on my own journey from child to adult, I learned culture’s definition of what makes a person strong. And how weakness comes in many shapes and sizes, like in these examples.
~ Weight lifting proved my arms lacked physical strength.
~ Low self-esteem, anxiety or discouragement labeled me a weak soul.
~ Failure to excel in a class, understand a concept at work, or carry strong opinions, defined me as weak-minded.
Culture teaches us to stay strong and overcome weakness because it just isn’t pretty. Yet, in God’s Kingdom, weakness takes on a whole new meaning.
“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 when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, 10b ESV)
Paul’s visions and thorn in the flesh in Chapter 12, kept him from boasting in himself. He had endured many hardships and persecutions. Still, he learned his strength was found in his weakness.
While culture looks down on weakness, God’s people look to Him for strength. #blog #strength Click To TweetWhat Culture Says, What God Says
Culture tells us to strive for independence. God says, Depend on Me.
Culture calls people weak who struggle to juggle all the things in life.
“Yes, you can be a wife, a mom, whoever you want to be, and still work 9-5 or 6-midnight outside and/or inside the home. You can bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan. Because you are woman, hear her roar!” God says, You don’t have to struggle to juggle anything. In fact, if you are doing the juggling act, you aren’t resting in Me.
Culture calls us weak unless we compete in the workplace and go for the jugular.
Women are weak who can’t keep up with the images in the magazine, who aren’t the ones who pull off 50 is the new 30, and 30 is the new 20. Women who aren’t sexy and the full package of a woman in how culture defines her. God says, Find your identity in Me, seek godliness and holiness, not sexiness.
Culture says women are weak who need help and who can’t pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.
Women who are too 
emotional and not hard-nosed and hard-hearted enough to let life’s troubles roll off their backs. God says, Look to the hills, where does your help come? From Me the God of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121)
God’s call. The Lord’s calling all perfectionists, all type-A personalities, all pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps people, every get-it-done man, woman, boy and girl. And He’s calling all children of God who keep trying and striving to obtain the things of God on our own or living the Christian life in our own strength.
3 Ways Weakness Gives Us Strength.
(1) Weakness points to our need for a higher power.
If we were always strong, we wouldn’t need God. If we were never weak, never fell short, never failed, or always had it together, we wouldn’t need a God who is all powerful or a Savior who’s strength is made perfect in our weakness.
It’s supernatural strength for our natural weakness. Because…
When we can't, God can, then He gets all the glory. #strength #blog Click To Tweet(2) Weakness reminds us that we have limits.
Humans are limited. The Lord is limitless. (Read Billy Graham’s devotion on our limitless God.)
Maybe we think we have to be the strong one and keep everyone on track. Yet, who’s there for us, who’s the strong one for us? The true One. Jesus. Or, we grow tired and weak from feeling like we never measure up, feeling like we are never enough. Here’s the thing: in Christ we are already enough, we already have His strength.
We let go of striving on our own when we are not holding on to anything but Jesus. Christ carries our load, burdens, sorrows, and us on His strong shoulders. Click To Tweet(3) Weakness reveals our insufficiency.
Many times we take pride in thinking we are self-sufficient in our job, in life, and so on. Yet, we are never sufficient on our own. Not only do we need other people, but also God’s “grace is sufficient” for us. Then we face each day with renewed strength, but only through Christ.
Our New Definition of Strong
Let’s do this exercise to further grasp our new definition of strong.
Insert your name in the blank below (2 Corinthians 12:9), and then read verses 9 and 10b out loud.
The Lord’s grace is sufficient for _________, for His power is made perfect in my weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
For when I am weak, then I am strong. (v.10b)
*Note: I will not publish a blog post next week since Thursday is Thanksgiving Day. Read my post, Finding God in Thanksgiving.
Photos courtesy of Unsplash.
Sometimes I participate in these link-ups:
Debbie Kitterman/#Dare2Hear, Lori Schumaker/#momentsofhope, Jaime Wiebel/#SittingAmongFriends, Crystal Twadell/Fresh Market Friday, Kelly Balarie/Purposeful Faith, Patricia Holbrook/Soaring With Him, Meghan Weyerbacher/TeaandtheWord, Lyli Dunbar/#FaithOnFire & Crystal Storms/Heart Encouragement.
© 2018 by Karen Friday, All rights reserved
I love how you say when we can’t, God can. I think I often forget that we aren’t supposed to do it alone.
Yes, Jessie. It’s simple but oh so powerful all at the same time. 🙂
The weakness in my body is not something I would have asked God to give me. But through that weakness, due to arthritis, breast cancer in 2005, and various other health issues, I have learned to rely on Him first. Through His strength, my weakness brings me closer to Him.
Melissa, sorry for all the health weakness you’ve had to endure, it relates to this passage. And many scholars believe the Apostle Paul’s thorn in the flesh was an illness or physical suffering of some kind. Thankful that when we are weak, then we are strong because of Christ. Thanks for sharing your story and thoughts.
Hello Karen
Thank you for your wise insights. It has always been such an encouraging part of Faith that I don’t have to prove myself to the Lord. In so many other parts of my life people expect me to know, to be right, to be strong. It is wonderful to rest in the truths you have clearly laid out – Thank you
Hi Bob, your experience is like so many of us. Those expectations others put on us can break us in some ways. But when we realize we don’t have to strive or try to gain power and strength on our own, that perspective makes all the difference in the world. My problem is I often learn it the hard way. 🙂 Thanks for commenting.
Thanks Karen for helping us redefine the labels the world wants to put on us as Christian. The characteristics God calls us to follow go against the worlds view of a strong person. Our society has turned the term meek into a bad trait but we are called to be meek. Thanks for your insight
Hey Yvonne, “meekness” and some of your recent blog posts also point to people’s false perceptions. If we were always strong, we wouldn’t need God. If we were never weak, never fell short, never failed, or always had it together, we wouldn’t need a God who is all powerful or a Savior who’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. Appreciate you sharing your input.
Karen,
Thank you for speaking right into my life. I actually spoke these words this week, “I don’t want to say ‘I need’…” I’m struggling through figuring out the balance of need vs. strong. And even more than that, (and I’d love to hear your wisdom on this in a future blog post from you) I’m struggling through the balance of needing relationship with people vs. relying on relationship with God because God made us relational, what do we do when our relational needs are not being met? What do we do with that feeling of weakness. Of course my initial and human reaction is to say, “I don’t need, I’m strong.” But as you so beautifully write, we don’t need to be strong. I desire to rest in God and rest in the love of his people. I love this post it has encouraged me. It has encouraged me that is OKAY to rest. To not juggle. To not struggle. To not be everything. Thank you.
Hey Stephanie,
Your words are both heart-felt and soul-stirring. I relate to some of your struggles and questions. I’m betting many others do as well. You pose a good blog topic, but to speak to it briefly, God did create us as relational beings…our love-relationship with Him to be foremost as the lover of our soul. Then with others. I’m writing about some of this in the book I’m working on. When life’s empty places are greater than our fullness (even in relationships). It’s not always so cut and dry to say “No one or thing completes me. Jesus alone completes me and makes me whole.” It sounds good and looks good on paper, but how is it practically seen in our lives? Maybe we grasp it more and more as we follow Jesus and know Him more and as we stay close to the Lord.
And as you commented, it is about resting in God’s strength AND in His love and the fellowship we have with other brothers and sisters in Christ. I know when I struggle to juggle, I’m left more empty than before. All the world’s promises of strength and power and relational hope never bring 100% satisfaction. Thank you for such a thought-provoking comment. Hugs!
This passage from 2 Corinthians is powerful in my life. I’ve preached it, and I’ve lived it. Thanks for taking some time to write about it.
As the breadwinner, dad, husband, etc in the family, I’ve struggled to keep my head above water. I’ve often commented to my wife that I feel like I’m doing a million things with mediocrity instead of a few things with excellence. I get run down and exhausted when I take on too much. Life happens and we have unexpected health problems or bills. But the problem isn’t so much with my lack of strength. It’s that I wasn’t meant to carry it. Like you said, when I’m weak that’s when God demonstrates his strength. And I’m so glad he does. I would have fallen away years ago but for God’s grace and strength.
My question is how to teach this lesson to my kids. I don’t want them to struggle, but I know that difficulties are the way that God makes us stronger. That’s a hard pill to swallow.
Thanks for the encouragement today, Karen. I needed this.
Hey Chip, I like your thought that it isn’t as much a lack of strength as much as you were never meant to carry it. We are wired for God’s strength, but we learn to become strong on our own.
What we know for sure is this: The Lord’s grace is sufficient for Chip. For when Chip is weak, then he is strong. 🙂
That’s a good question to ponder about how to teach kids this spiritual truth and lesson. Maybe we ask God to show us since James tells us if we lack wisdom to ask God. Thank you!
Indeed, we can all boast in our weaknesses, as God’s strength come through every time we depend upon Him. Great inspiration, Karen! Blessings!
Thank you, Martha. We let go of striving on our own when we are not holding on to anything but Jesus. Christ carries our load, burdens, sorrows, and us on His strong shoulders. 🙂 Blessings!
I have been learning to rejoice in my weaknesses, so that God’s strength is made perfect and His power may rest on me. I have found when I acknowledge my weaknesses, He truly does become strong for me. I like order & perfection, so I especially need His help to lay these at His feet. But, oh, how kind & tender He is with us!
So true, Becky. I like how you said you are learning to lay order and perfection at His feet but how kind and tender He is with us. 🙂 For when we are weak, He is strong!
Wow, you covered so many deep truths here. This line: “Culture tells us to strive for independence. God says, Depend on Me” gets to the root of things for me. By nature I prefer to rely on myself and this is not a strength. Through my own health issues, I have learned to lean on God more than I would have without and now I can see what a spiritual blessing that is. I am also grateful for you making very clear the difference between God’s biblical goals for a woman vs. what our culture and the world tells us. Thank you for your faith and ministry!
Hi Melissa, your words that by nature you rely on yourself and this IS NOT a strength. That’s the truth at the core of this message in 2 Corinthians 12. I’m so sorry for your health issues, but glad you’ve learn to lean on God’s strength that’s perfected in our weakness. I pray as women of God, we learn to find our identity in God alone and rest in how He defines us. For I’m learning to take my cue about who I am from the great I AM. Blessings!
It is interesting how we can be believers and yet strive to be self sufficient. I was guilty doing that for many years until God had stripped me of every achievement that I was so proud of, of every control that I had in my life. It was hard, but only then I realized what it’s really like to TRUST God and to rely on HIS strength and not mine. Thank you for a great reminder of that!
Your experience is that of many, Galina. Sometimes God has to strip us of everything to bring us full circle to trusting Him, resting in Him, and depending on Him. His power is made perfect in our weakness. Thanks for commenting.
Karen, Wow! I truly needed this one today. Filling in my name with Scripture is such a powerful tool.
Blessings to you, sweet friend.
Hey Beckie, I’ve always loved filling in names to Scripture. Not only my name, but also the name of friends and family when I’m specifically praying a portion of God’s Word for myself or over someone else. Filling names in the blanks of Scripture often fills in the blanks of that area of our lives! Because that’s who our God is and how He works.
Let’s remember, when we are weak, God is strong!! Blessings to you!
What a great reminder of God’s strength in our lives. Tapping into that doesn’t mean we have to do more, it just means we need to surrender!
Thanks, Rebecca. And I enjoyed how you said we don’t have to do more, we just surrender. Yes! Because in Christ we are already enough, we already have His strength. Appreciate you commenting. Happy Thanksgiving!
Karen, I look forward to your blog every week. You always seem to be writing exactly what I need to hear. Life has been a bit overwhelming lately with a new grandbaby, a trip across the country to meet him, a daughter’s wedding planning, conflict within our large extended family, upcoming holidays, my chronic illness, a novel in the works, and changing demands in my work as a writer. I feel like I’m running in the hamster wheel, and I don’t have the strength to keep pressing into all of this. I’ll likely flop into the bottom of the wheel and let it bounce me around. This reminded me to lean into Jesus, and to trust him to help me to deal with each of these issues as he sees fit. Some may need to be released, while he will give me the strength and the ability to complete or to press toward some. I think I’ll let him decide by giving everything in this pile to him. When I am weak, he is strong. I needed to be reminded of this today.
Yes, Melinda! The first step is giving the whole pile over to the Lord. Don’t we often need these reminders? I know I do! You have so much going on as most of us can relate to! (By the way, love the pictures you’ve posted with the new grandson.) But we are able to face each day with renewed strength through Christ and His perfect strength and grace. May we pray to remember this:
The Lord’s calling all perfectionists, all type-A personalities, all pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps people, every get-it-done man, woman, boy and girl. And He’s calling all children of God who keep trying and striving to obtain the things of God on our own or living the Christian life in our own strength. Just as you said, He’s calling us to hand it over to Him.
Somehow I commented above under Rebecca Hastings. Don’t know how that happened. I’m sorry to mess up the comment string.
I don’t think your comment is in reply to Rebecca’s. Looks like a new comment. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, Melinda. You always add such value!
Sweet sister,
Your post was spot on for me today. I am finding myself in a season of “juggling” and tempted to strive instead of rest and do only what He calls me to do. You are a blessing to the Body, Karen!
Love,
Awe, thank you, Patricia! I’m with you on trying to leave the struggle to juggle behind and rest in the Lord’s empowerment to His calling alone. It’s a daily, moment-by-moment decision. Love and hugs! And Happy Thanksgiving!
I really enjoyed reading your post because it goes to the heart of Christianity and so different from what we learn in our current culture. I consider myself an advocate for women and part of that advocacy is encouraging them to go to the only one that can fill that need, the only one that can make them strong, and that it is okay to accept ourselves with all our weaknesses—because He fills in the gaps.
Wonderful, Luisa. You’re a great advocate for women with that strong godly advice straight from God’s Word. He does fill in the gaps! And the heart of Christianity should be the kind of things that come from God’s heart. Appreciate you commenting!
Great post! I love the quote, “God says, Find your identity in Me, seek godliness and holiness, not sexiness.” This is so true. In 1 Peter 3:3-4, Peter reiterates your point, “Your beauty should not consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold ornaments or fine clothes. Instead, it should consist of what is inside the heart with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very valuable in God’s eyes.” We can easily forget what truly matters to God. Thank you for your points on weakness – very helpful to me. Love your blog, Karen! 🙂
Love that passage in Peter, Marcie. So good! May the Lord remind us what truly matters to Him.
The Lord’s grace is sufficient for Marcie, for His power is made perfect in her weakness. Therefore she will boast all the more gladly of her weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon her. For when she is weak, then she is strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10b
Happy Thanksgiving!
Dear Karen!
Interesting topic. My first thought was that the meaning and importance of being strong has changed so much over the last 100 years. It’s not about lifting a lot anymore or being good at physical work for those of us who work with services.
An important observation, the difference between culture and the Bible. That’s also the place where Christianity becomes relevant because it offers a worldview that can be used as the best medicine against the ME-ME-ME thinking.
Enjoy!
Edna Davidsen
Hey Edna,
I’m so glad you brought that into the conversation. The definition and meaning of “strong” has changed a lot in how it applies to our present world and many of our daily lives. Yet, I’m so glad the Lord remains the same and I pray He reminds us where and with who our real inner strength and stamina lie…with Him.
Love the thought that a biblical worldview is “the best medicine against the ME-ME-ME thinking.” That’s good stuff. Because it’s not about me and never has been about me. It’s about the One who said, “follow Me.”
Thanks, Edna
Karen, thank you for this beautiful post! The topic of weakness is one I think about often, because I often see memes and blog posts pointing out that “You are enough!” but that’s not a badge of honor, as you point out! I loved this post so much that I shared it on Twitter!
Blessings,
Brianna
Hi Brianna, I agree. When we grow tired and weak from feeling like we never measure up, feeling like we are never enough. In Christ we are enough, we already have His strength. But it’s in Him alone, not through our own means of becoming enough. It has to happen through that place of surrender to Christ and His Lordship. Thanks for commenting!
Thanks for this very timely reminder, Karen. In these present times, it is lifesaving to keep this truth in mind. Blessings to you!
Thank you. It’s comforting that instead of letting life’s troubles roll off our backs. God says, to look to the hills, where our help comes from. From Him, the God of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121)
Hi Karen. I love that we can thank God for things like weakness and inability. These are power qualities because they allow God to work. Pride is so unattractive. Thank you for highlighting weakness as we enter into Thanksgiving week.
Hello Stephen, it is interesting to others how Christ-followers thank God for things like weakness. It seems foolish to express gratitude for such a thing instead of doing something about it. Yet, that’s what Jesus taught, truths turning the world upside down in philosophy and thinking. And I like how you mentioned pride being unattractive. Thanks for commenting. Happy Thanksgiving.
I absolutely love this Karen and would like to use it as a resource for my upcoming volunteer ministry. I lead a team twice a month at a women’s emergency accommodation centre. We do ‘church’ with the ladies and include a hopeful message for them around a piece of scripture. How important it is to know we can lean into God in all our circumstances as He is our strength!
Thank you, Lynn. And what a great ministry! That’s the best way to experience pieces of heaven on earth, be Jesus with skin to others. Sure thing to use this post, a real honor for me that you want to. While I’m sure it’s not necessary to mention, please do remember to name me or my site as the source. Blessings and Happy Thanksgiving! And thanks for the labor of love you are doing for God’s Kingdom.
When we come to understand that surrendering our weaknesses to Jesus leaves us stronger than ever and Him glorified, it makes all the sense in the world to lay them at His feet, Karen! I love how you’ve unpacked the benefits and reasons for surrendering our weaknesses to the Lord. So inspiring! I’m pinning this for sure!
Thanks for commenting and pinning, Beth. Grateful during this season that in Christ, when we are weak, we are strong. Blessings!
Karen, what a lot of wisdom you are sharing here. It’s so true that our culture encourages self-reliance and pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps. But we find strength when we rest in God’s power.
We do find needed strength when we rest in God’s power, Betsy. It’s the opposite of what culture teaches. We are wired to rely on God’s power, but learn self-reliance on our own strength. Thanks for visiting. Happy Thanksgiving!
These are things I’ve been struggling to understand. Life has gotten heavy lately and I’ve felt like such a failure in trying to follow the world’s way and pick myself back up and hold it all together! I’ve been learning…slowly…to rest in Jesus and the beauty He can bring about through my weaknesses. I’m so glad I found this post <3
Yes, Cristen. It’s not an easy lesson to learn. And sometimes it takes repetition, practice, and failure to learn to let God become our strength in all ways and in everything. I pray your heart understands and trusts in the Lord’s power and your soul finds rest in Him.
Thank you for this beautiful reminder Karen! God does not require my strength. He needs me to rely on Him because He will lead me and provide over and above what I can ever imagine. Love it!
Thank you, Brittany. I pray we learn to lean into the Lord for every ounce of strength we need when we’re weak. Because when we can’t, God can and then He gets all the glory!
This is a really ministered to me today, Karen. I have struggled with making things happen in my own strength, and allowing things to happen in my life by submitting them to God‘s will. It is a great balance between the two. I have learned there are somethings that are just out of my control, and I must surrender to God‘s will. Thank you for an excellent reminder that we must live counter-culturally. Blessings, Lisa Q
It is living counter-culture, isn’t it? To the world, our viewpoint of being stronger when we are weak is foolishness. Yet, it’s when we are the strongest we’ve ever been…letting the strength of Christ dwell and live in us through the supernatural. Thanks, Lisa.
When I can’t, God can. Destiny’s Child sang, “All the women, independent, throw your hands up at me. ” It was an anthem for independent women all over the world yet God says, depend on me. Thank you for sharing and reminding us of such powerful truths. I loved inserting my name into that verse. Powerful.
Thanks, Yvonne. If we were always strong, we wouldn’t need God. If we were never weak, never fell short, never failed, or always had it together, we wouldn’t need a God who is all powerful or a Savior who’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. It’s supernatural strength for our natural weakness. Appreciate your thoughts!
[…] (Read my blog post on strength.) […]