Discovering Strength Through Weakness

Strength. We admire those who have it, and those who don’t have it desire it. Before Arnold Schwarzenegger became a motion picture star and then governor of California, he was a body builder with muscles rippling all over his body. His physical strength translated into prominence in the worlds of both entertainment and politics.

 

I remember as a boy seeing comic book ads featuring the “100-pound weakling” and how renowned body builder Charles Atlas’s training could transform him into a force to be reckoned with. As a society, and as a nation, we’ve always been enamored with strength: Military might; political power; financial influence; social clout.

But have you ever considered that being weakness – being weak – isn’t necessarily a bad thing?

 

In many areas of life, the “can-do” spirit is commendable. ‘I can do it!’ ‘I’ve got this!’ But sooner or later we’ll encounter times when our honest response is, “I can’t do this! I give up!” We hate being in that position, but experience has taught me that when I’ve reached the point of “I can’t!”, God is eager to respond, “I know you can’t. But I can!”

 

I could recount numerous times, at various stages of my life, when I’d reached the end of my proverbial rope. I had tried and done everything I could. Then, out of options and at the brink of despair, it was like God telling me, “Okay, now see what I can do.” As lo and behold, as old versions of the Bible would say, I found the Lord truly doing “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). 

 

Sometimes He met my needs by working through me; sometimes He did it in spite of me. Many times God’s message to us in times of crisis is, “Get out of the way and watch Me work.” In circumstances like these, He showed me that self-reliance isn’t the path to spiritual growth and maturity.

 

Toward the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ taught His disciples a crucial lesson, using a grapevine as a metaphor. He told them, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing…. This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples” (John 15:5-8).

 

We enjoy looking at fruit trees and the different types of fruit they can bear – apples, oranges, peaches, grapefruit. Their fruits hang gloriously from the tree limbs, but the limbs by themselves can accomplish nothing. They must be attached to the trunk of the tree, from which they literally receive their life and productivity.

 

It’s the same for followers of Jesus. We can strive as hard as we like, but without His Spirit working in us and through us, we can’t achieve anything of eternal value.

 

The apostle Paul knew this all too well. As Saul, a leading Pharisee zealously persecuting the pesky “Christians” who were viewed as heretics, he had often flexed his strength and influence physically, politically and religiously. However, after His life-changing encounter with Jesus enroute to Damascus, he was undone. God was about to teach him about a very different kind of strength.

 

Years later, writing to believers in ancient Corinth, Paul stated, “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me…. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

 

This wasn’t just a one-time observation either. Writing to a different group of Christ followers, Paul reflected on the various hardships and challenges he had faced and then declared, “I can do everything through [Christ] who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

 

Are you facing something today that has taken you to your limits, beyond your capacity to handle or resolve? If not now, maybe you will tomorrow, or next week, or next year. Sooner or later such times come to us all. We can shake our fists and curse the devil, but that doesn’t do any good. Those are usually occasions when we can truly experience God’s power at work, building our trust and deepening our faith in Him.

At times such as those, we have no choice but to apply the truth of what both Jesus and Paul asserted: “Apart from Me you can do nothing,” and “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” As the apostle noted, weakness isn’t necessarily a bad thing. 

What Are Your ‘Grapes’ Moments in History?

Have you ever stomped grapes? I haven’t but have always thought it would be an interesting experience. I’m old enough to remember the hilarious skit from the TV sitcom “I Love Lucy” when Lucy decides to trample grapes to prepare for a role in an Italian movie. It was a “grape” moment in comedic history.

When we think of grape stomping (if we think of it at all), we have images of folks barefooted, grape juice oozing between their toes. But have you wondered what it would be like to be one of the grapes? If they could talk, I’m certain we’d hear gripes from the grapes. Who likes to be crushed?

 

We might not be grapes, but like it or not, life serves up some crushing moments for each of us. When we’re young, it might be mom or dad refusing to buy that bar of candy at the grocery store. Or getting a bad grade on a test. Or enduring a breakup with our first girlfriend or boyfriend.

 

As we get older, our crushing moments become more consequential: Being fired or laid off from a job. A car breaking down and requiring major, costly repairs. A cancer diagnosis. A divorce. Having a child get into serious difficulty that can’t be easily remedied. Suffering the loss of a loved one.

 

How we handle these and other situations of similar or greater gravity sets a tone for our lives as we move forward. As someone has said, we can either become bitter – or become better. We can collapse in a heap and moan, “Why me, Lord?!” Or adopt a different perspective, thinking, “Why not me, Lord?” recognizing there’s really no reason we should be exempt from life’s adversities.

 

There’s a third and probably best approach for dealing with life’s overwhelming, crushing experiences: Recognizing they have been allowed by God and will be used within His sovereign plan. One of the most used – and sometimes overused – verses in the Bible is Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Granted, this passage can be misused as a handy, one-size-fits-all platitude in attempting to comfort others in pain. That doesn’t mean it’s not true.

 

The Lord can use our crushing circumstances in His process for transforming us, molding us into the people He desires for us to become. In one of his recent daily readings, my favorite devotional writer Oswald Chambers observed, “The burden that God places on us squeezes the grapes in our lives and produces the wine, but most of us see only the wine and not the burden…. If your life is producing only a whine, instead of the wine, then ruthlessly kick it out. It is definitely a crime for a Christian to be weak in God’s strength.”

 

That last statement is the key. The apostle Paul, after recapping some of his own sufferings – which included whippings and beatings, shipwrecks, betrayals, hunger and thirst, deprivation, and his unspecified “thorn in the flesh” – made this statement: 

“…there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

 

Perhaps like helpless grapes, we don’t find delight in the crushing. As Chambers said, instead of producing wine, we choose instead to whine. At such times we should remember the example of our Savior, of whom Isaiah 53:4-5 says, “Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows…. He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities.”

 

A diamond, we’re told, is a lump of coal that was hardened and refined under intense, prolonged pressure. Perhaps when God allows us to go through the winepress of life, He sees us as diamonds in the rough, desperately in need of smoothing and polishing. Our crushing circumstances can be used to bring that about. 

Self-Help Isn’t a Biblical Benchmark

The grapes in a vineyard are helpless apart from the vine.

Years ago, I interviewed the CEO of a major corporation who talked about how he became immersed in self-help books, audiotapes, and other motivational resources. He was always striving to become a better executive, eagerly studying and testing any technique or philosophy he thought might enhance his skills and productivity.

Sometimes he would be sitting quietly in his den, wearing headphones and listening to the latest self-help message he had discovered. If his children wanted to visit with him, one would warn the other, “Don’t bother Dad now. He’s motivating.”

 

Bookstores – a vanishing breed these days, sad to say – have long recognized the “self-help” section as one of the most popular destinations for customers. Who doesn’t want to improve, whether it’s becoming a more successful person, more adept craftsman, more skilled artist, athlete or photographer, better spouse or parent, or any of myriad other life pursuits?

 

The one exception, I suppose, was the bookstore employee who, when asked by a customer where to find the self-help section, responded, “Help yourself!”

 

In many ways, the self-help approach to life remains the rage. The Internet, especially with resources like YouTube and Google, has only fed our self-help appetite. We can find videos showing how to do virtually anything, from hanging a picture on the wall to assembling a bicycle, learning how to play the guitar or drums to fixing a leaking faucet.

 

You’ve probably heard someone say, “You have to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.” Have you ever tried to do that? Talk about a superpower! And who has shoes or boots with bootstraps anymore, anyway?

 

We’ve even spiritualized the self-help philosophy somewhat. There’s the adage, “God helps those who help themselves.” This saying has been attributed to Benjamin Franklin, while others contend it was coined by a British politician named Algernon Sidney. Someone quipped a variation of this saying, “God helps those who help themselves, but God help those who get caught helping themselves.”

 

Some folks might say, “Doesn’t the Bible say, ‘God helps those who help themselves’?” No, you won’t find it there, unless you’re consulting the books of 2 Opinions or 3 Babylonians. (Which aren’t in the Bible either.) Seriously, if anything, the essence of the Scriptures is quite contrary to the self-help mindset.

 

British preacher and theologian A.W. Pink summed it up well when he said, “To declare that God helps those who help themselves is to repudiate one of the most precious truths taught in the Bible, and in the Bible alone; namely, that God helps those who are unable to help themselves, who have tried again and again only to fail.”

 

We could cite dozens, even hundreds of passages about how the Lord helps those unable to help themselves, but a good place to start is Jesus. Speaking to His disciples, Jesus used a vine as a metaphor for dependence on Him: 

“Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself, it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5).

 

The apostle Paul might have had this admonition in mind when he wrote, “I can do everything through [Christ] who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

 

Paul, despite his many accomplishments, never got over his dependence on God. He wrote about a “thorn in the flesh” that he had, although the apostle never specified what that was. It was a perpetual affliction, to the point that, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me…. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

 

The corporate executive I mentioned earlier discovered this. Someone introduced him to the Bible, and in the process, to Jesus Christ. Before long, he said he disposed of all his self-help resources and started using the Bible, its teachings and truths as his guide, both professionally and personally. And that remained the case for the remainder of his life.

We live in a culture that was birthed with a “can do” spirit, individuals filled with determination and self-will to accomplish great things. They were the original “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” folks. Certainly, we all have abilities and talents in certain areas. But from an eternal perspective, we truly cannot do anything apart from the indwelling power of God’s Spirit. Paul noted Jesus’ earthly life was filled with the power of God, and “by God’s power we will live in Him to serve you” (2 Corinthians 13:4). 

Finding Strength in Our Inadequacy

Do you remember the TV commercial of years ago in which a businessman was sitting behind a desk, phone to his ear, telling his boss, “I can do that! I can do that!...” But as he hung up the phone, he asked himself, “How am I going to do that?!”

 

I think we’ve all been there at one time or another, either piled up with too much work and too little time in which to do it, or confronted with a challenge that seems beyond our capabilities. It makes us want to ask the same question: ‘How am I going to do that?’ In a society in which “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” has been a dominant mantra, we like to feel competent at what’s in front of us, at least adequate for the task. It’s unsettling feeling to realize that what is confronting us might be more than we can handle.

 

This has been the case throughout the history of mankind. Technology and other advances may have made it easier to be productive, but we still find times when the work seems bigger than the worker. Back in the early 1900s, for example, the Wright brothers were armed with mechanical skills and a vision for creating a flying machine. They dreamed of building a contraption capable of overcoming the pull of gravity, but I suspect there were times when they wondered, ‘What in the world are we doing?’ Thankfully, the “can’t do” impulse was negated by “can do” determination.

 

Can you imagine how Jesus’ disciples felt when first He called them to follow Him, and then gradually entrusted them with more responsibility? These weren’t individuals holding the equivalent of PH.D.’s and MBAs in their day. They weren’t even learned religious leaders. They were lowly fishermen, a despised tax collector and other men situated on the lower end of the social totem pole.

 

How do you think they felt when Jesus looked directly in their eyes and declared, “Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19)? Or when, as Mark 6:7 tells us, "He began to send them out two by two and gave them power over unclean spirits”?

 

I enjoyed the scene in the third season of “The Chosen” when Jesus, portrayed by Jonathan Roumie, announced His plan to send His disciples out for their first missionary foray. As the scene accurately depicts, I believe, they stared at Jesus with unbelief, even questioning what they had heard. In today’s vernacular they were asking a collective, “Say what?!”

 

Recently I enjoyed meeting with a longtime friend over coffee, reminiscing over the time we worked together on staff with the marketplace ministry Christian Business Men’s Connection (CBMC). We agreed that when we were called to our respective roles, we had no idea what we were signing up for. The only thing that really “qualified” us for the work was our realization of how unqualified we actually were.

 

Whether we’re at work, in college, doing volunteer work or engaged in the never-ending role of parenting, we like to feel as if we’re in control, that we’ve got things handled. But sooner or later we encounter challenges or obstacles that seem beyond our capacity. As unsettling and unnerving as that may be, that’s actually a good thing.

 

When my late friend Dave was being mentored early in his Christian life by another man named Dave, he would pour own his frustrations and grumble about the problems he was facing. His mentor would simply smile and say, “Dave, you’re in a great position!” Hearing this would aggravate my friend, but eventually he realized Dave was right. His sense of inadequacy inevitably forced him to turn to the ultimate source of strength, Jesus Christ.

 

The apostle Paul, who as Saul the Pharisee seemed to believe he had the world by the tail, eventually came to the same realization. To wipe away Paul’s sense of self-sufficiency, God had given him “a thorn in the flesh,” an affliction of some sort that he never specified. Whatever it was, it kept him sufficiently humble and dependent on His Savior and Lord.

 

Paul wrote, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

 

“When I am weak, then I am strong”? Are you kidding me, we’re tempted to ask. Strength, not weakness, is what it’s all about we’re told, whether in sports, politics, the business world, or another field of endeavor. 

 

And yet Paul, who had strength, status and worldly “stuff” that few others had prior to his Damascus Road encounter with Christ, came to understand his inadequacy was the path to true strength: “I consider everything a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:10).

 

Are you feeling weak today? Inadequate? You’re in a great position!

Don’t Believe Everyone Who Says, ‘You Can Do it!’

Just as grapes are dependent on the vine, we can't
succeed apart from the true Vine.

As a journalist, I’ve always been intrigued by communications, both in theory and in practice. Today, with social media, the Internet and the plethora of TV programming, not only on networks and cable but also on many other platforms, traditional radio has become an afterthought for most people. 

However, I still enjoy listening to radio, especially while driving during the day. I particularly enjoy hearing some of the nation’s best preachers and Bible teachers. One of them is Alistair Begg, an engaging Scotsman who pastors a congregation in Cleveland, Ohio. 

 

Recently he was talking about his initial exposure to the American game of football, very different from the football he was familiar with in his native Scotland. We call it “soccer.” Trying to figure out the strange American sport was difficult enough for Begg, but what really caught his attention were cheerleaders.

 

As the game progressed, the cheerleaders’ team was getting clobbered. Unfazed, the girls continued to shout, “You can do it!” even though – as Begg recalled – “no…they couldn’t.” No amount of enthusiastic cheering could help the team’s overmatched offense and defense.

 

Bringing the illustration home, he observed that as we travel through life, we confront formidable challenges. We might we try fortifying ourselves with self-talk. “I can do this!” Or friends offer words of encouragement, “You can do it!” Sometimes, however, like the beleaguered football team Begg observed, we can’t. What do we do then?

 

We can grit our teeth and try even harder. Or we can quit, concluding that it’s hopeless. But there’s a third, and usually better, alternative.

 

Many times, when we conclude, “I can’t,” we’re just moments away from realizing, “but the Lord can!” Especially when we’re engaged in matters making a difference for eternity. This is why the apostle Paul wrote, “I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). 

 

He was referring to the many times when he confronted great difficulties or had serious needs. Paul had seen God accomplish the seeming impossible – delivering him from shipwrecks, freeing him from prison, sustaining him through beatings and riots, and other trials. Even if friends were telling him, “You can do it!” Paul knew that without the Lord’s intervention, he couldn’t.

 

In similar fashion, Jesus used a common grapevine to illustrate our need to rely totally on God. Just as the branches must draw their sustenance from the vine, He said, “I am the vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Our best efforts and intentions – apart from Christ – amount to nothing.

 

I have experienced this many times, even when I didn’t realize how the Lord was intervening on my behalf. One time is forever etched in my memory: After accepting a job to work with CBMC, a Christian ministry, my family and I were moving from Houston, Texas to Chattanooga. My pastor suggested that I speak briefly to our congregation, asking them to pray for our transition – but my initial response was, “No, I can’t. I’m not a public speaker.” The prospect of standing before hundreds of people during a worship service terrified me.

 

However, God impressed upon me this was something He wanted me to do, and reluctantly I agreed to do it. “I can’t do this myself, Lord,” I prayed. “You’re going to have to empower me to do it.” And He did. 

 

God gave me a sense of peace and confidence. My nerves calmed and I saw the faces of many folks who had been a part of my spiritual growth over the past three years. As I spoke, I experienced the truth of Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

 

Years later, working for a sister ministry, my boss asked me to travel to Brazil to offer encouragement and support for people serving the Lord in the marketplace there. Again, I thought, “I can’t do that. That’s not my area of expertise, I don’t know anyone there, and I can’t even speak Portuguese.” Again it was like God was saying, “I know you can’t – but I can, working through you.”

 

The trip to Brazil far exceeded my greatest expectations, none of my trepidations came to pass, and I even returned there a couple of years later. To this day I remain in contact with some of the friends I made during those visits. 

 

Drawing from his own experiences, the apostle Paul wrote that the Lord gave him the assurance, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” and he could therefore conclude, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

So, the next time you’re confronted by a daunting, even overwhelming challenge and people cheer you on saying, “You can do it!”, don’t feel badly if you know you can’t. Because if the Lord wants it to be done, He can do it through you. 

There is Power in Potential

Even though words have been my tools of trade for decades, there are still times when insights into the terms we commonly use still surprise me. The most recent is the word “potential.”

During a visit with my friend, Clarence, who’s also got some writer DNA, we were talking about what potential is all about. I studied Latin in high school for two years – does anybody do that anymore? – but had forgotten the word comes from the Latin “potent“ or “potens,” which means “power.” So basically, when we talk about someone’s potential, we’re referring to the individual’s untapped, unused or underdeveloped power.

I remember as a boy, being a would-be athlete, I sometimes asked my kids’ league coaches if I had “potential” to be good at the particular sport. I was more of a wouldn’t-be athlete. But my coaches were kind enough never to concede I possessed little power to be tapped athletically.

Thankfully, some people saw potential in me as a writer and affirmed innate abilities they had observed. Even today I’m still trying to tap into that potential, recognizing the power of the written word in a book, an article, blog post, or even a letter.

What about our potential spiritually? In the sense of power, what does God expect of us?

The amazing thing is, as I understand the Scriptures, the Lord sees much potential in all of us – skills and natural bents we’re born with, interests we develop and refine, and the spiritual gifts He entrusts to us. But unlike body builders that enjoy flexing their muscles, it’s not our own power that interests God.

Rather, He delights in His power being expressed through us. The apostle Paul wrote about his “thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan” that he pleaded three times for God to remove (2 Corinthians 12:7-8). No one knows for sure what this “thorn” was. We do know Paul reconciled himself to the reality that the Lord had a purpose for it:

“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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Perhaps if this handicap or malady, whatever it was, had been removed, the apostle would have been inclined to serve God on his own terms rather than rely on His sufficiency.

I’ll never forget the one time I met Kenneth Taylor, author of the acclaimed The Living Bible paraphrase. When he spoke, it was a great struggle for Mr. Taylor to get the words out. It was somewhat painful even for his listeners. Despite consulting with numerous physicians, a physiological cause was never identified.

This problem had manifested itself after he was well along the way in completing and publishing The Living Bible, which grew out of his desire to give his young children a version of the Bible they could understand, since the King James Version was the only one available at the time. He established his own book company, Tyndale House Publishers, to publish the unique interpretation of the Scriptures. 

Mr. Taylor’s own conclusion was that with his Bible paraphrase’s incredible success, he might have become puffed up with pride had it not been for his speaking disability. Perhaps he had come to agree, along with Paul, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

Just before Jesus ascended to heaven, He gave His followers some final instructions, words that summarized what He expects for each of us to do. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus commanded, “All authority (power) in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations….” He wasn’t saying, “Work as hard as you can and try to get people to become faithful followers of Me.” The authority – the power – was to come from Him alone. The role of His followers then, as well as today, is to serve as conduits for that power.

That our “potential” as Jesus’ followers is wrapped up in the power He provides is explained in His statement recorded in Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem [where we live], and in all Judea and Samaria [neighboring cities and our nations], and to the ends of the earth [the world].”

Considering that the work of Jesus Christ after He left the earth was entrusted to a rag-tag bunch of folks with limited education and little status, it’s miraculous how Christianity has spread into every continent and most countries. This clearly wasn’t the result of human ingenuity and effort. Yes, we can engage in the “work for the Lord,” but the many stories of people whose lives have been changed by Jesus underscore that those astounding transformations have been His doing – His power acting through us.

What a privilege it is for each of us who profess the name of Jesus Christ to fulfill our “potential” – His power flowing through us in ways we don’t even understand.

Accepting the Gift Nobody Wants

What was the worst gift you ever received? A gaudy tie for Father’s Day? Or a nifty kitchen appliance when you really were hoping for a romantic gift, like flowers or jewelry? 

A well-intended aunt had a habit of giving some of the most undesirable gifts you could imagine. One Christmas when I was a teenager she gave me several pairs of stretchy red, yellow and white socks, not remotely on my wardrobe wish list.

We enjoy receiving gifts we want. But have you ever thought about pain being a “gift”? That’s the contention of author Philip Yancey and the late Dr. Paul Brand, who collaborated on several books exploring the problem of pain from a spiritual perspective. One of their books is titled, PAIN: The Gift Nobody Wants.

In another of Yancey’s books, Where Is God When It Hurts?, he introduces Dr. Brand, a physician who devoted his life to living and working with leprosy patients in different parts of the world. A great danger these individuals faced, Brand discovered, was suffering or worsening injuries due to an inability to feel pain.

Yancey writes, “Pain is not God’s great goof. The sensation of pain is a gift – the gift that nobody wants. More than anything, pain should be viewed as a communication network. A remarkable network of pain sensors stands guard duty with the singular purpose of keeping me from injury…. For the majority of us, the pain network performs daily protective service. It is effectively designed for surviving life on this sometimes hostile planet.”

He quotes Brand who, drawing from decades of professional experience, determined, “…as a physician I’m sure that less than one percent of pain is in this category we might call out of control. Ninety-nine percent of all pain that people suffer are short-term pains: correctable sensations that call for mediation, rest, or a change in a person’s lifestyle.”

This seems counterintuitive. We recoil at even the thought of pain, seeking to avoid it if possible. Over-the-counter pain medications fly off the shelves at pharmacies and retail stores. Stringent restrictions now govern opiates and other prescription pain medications, seeking to curb epidemic abuse. Many people attempt to avoid or overcome pain by other means, ranging from alcohol and recreational drugs to immersing themselves into various forms of distraction.

But could it be, as Yancey suggests, that “pain is not God’s great goof”? Twelve years ago, while power-walking, I felt unusual chest pressure and soreness in my left arm and wrist. I’d never experienced those sensations before, so when they recurred the next day, I had the good sense to consult my physician. 

A battery of tests determined I not only had several arterial blockages, but also an enlarged aorta which could have taken my life. I had not felt the severe chest pain often depicted on TV and in films, but that pressure was still deemed “pain” by the doctors who diagnosed my problems and performed surgery.

If we’re hammering a nail and hit our thumb instead, pain alerts us so we don’t keep whacking away and exacerbate the hurt. 

One of the problems diabetics often face is that over time, nerve endings become desensitized. As a result, they can suffer bruises or more serious injuries, even aggravate them, without being aware of it because they don’t feel pain to alert them of the damage.

A great example of pain is found in the Old Testament book of Job. In a devastating series of events, Job lost his worldly possessions, his children, and his health. The only thing he didn’t lose was his wife. When she told him to “curse God and die,” Job might have wondered why she was still around.

Job presents a classic discourse on the problem of pain, the subject of countless books, sermons and articles. One important thing to remember is that even in the depths of Job’s misery, the Lord was never absent. As the account of God’s sovereignty and grace concludes, we even see Job’s fortunes reversed.

The apostle Paul suffered from some persistent malady, although we’re not told what it was. He wrote, “I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 2:7-10).

Sometimes, as Paul said, it’s only through weakness – through pain – that we can experience God’s grace most profoundly.

Hard as it may seem, the next time we feel a twinge, an ache, or even a stabbing pain, before rushing for an immediate remedy, maybe we should first thank God for His “gift.” We can also cling to the promise from the Bible’s last book: “He will wipe away ever tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away”  (Revelation 21:4).

Strength, in All of Its Weakness

Since the cardiac rehab center I used for the past 10 years closed, I’ve changed workout venues and undertaken a new fitness regimen. In the process, it’s caused me to think a lot about strength – what it is, and what it’s not.

Strength holds a lot of different meanings for folks. The word may cause us to think of the muscle-bound person that makes the free weights and weight machines in the gym cringe. Nations boast about military might, implying their enemies don’t dare try picking a fight. In sports, we often hear talk about “strength in numbers.” Businesses refer to “core competencies,” meaning their products, services and strategies that are the strongest.

I once heard a guy describe growing up in a female-dominated household. He said his mom was “strong as an acre of garlic.” (I’m not sure she was still alive to hear that description – but I do recall seeing him look over his shoulder as he said it.)

Bold criticism used to be defined as “strong statements,” but these days it seems everyone’s making comments that are bold, or brash, or bewildering. When everything that’s being said is “strong,” doesn’t that really mean that nothing is strong?

This classic photo of the RMS Titanic on the docks
of Southampton before its ill-fated voyage is an
historic example of weakness in strength.

Which provides a segue to my topic: Can strength become a weakness? We need look no further than the RMS Titanic, the supposed “unsinkable” passenger liner that came out a poor second in its encounter with an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912, costing more than 1,500 lives.

We have many biblical accounts of people weakened in moments of strength, including Samson, whose legendary strength seemed uncontainable – until he was seduced into revealing the source of his power. Strong and revered King David, called “a man after God’s heart,” caught a glimpse of a lovely young woman on a rooftop one evening, and his subsequent actions resulted in a series of tragic consequences.

More than one pastor has strongly asserted, “one area I will never fail is in the area of relationships,” only to leave the ministry in disgrace due to sexual sins. This is one reason the apostle Paul offered this word of caution: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Strengths can work to our benefit, but they can also lead to overconfidence, complacency, and self-destructive pride.

“The flip side of any strength is its weakness,” I once heard someone say. I’ve experienced that myself. Friends sometimes call me an encourager, but one of the greatest temptations I face is succumbing to discouragement. Just as coaches and managers in sports scout for weaknesses in strong opponents, maybe we need to “self-scout”’ to discern where our strengths might leave us vulnerable.

Looking at the converse of this is interesting. A weakness can actually become a strength – especially when we’re aware of it and deal with it appropriately: We can try to work on that area and strengthen it. We can strive to avoid situations where the weakness is exposed and can be exploited. Or better yet, turn to another source of strength.

The apostle Paul had been a proud, militant religious leader, persecuting and seeking to annihilate followers of Jesus Christ. However, after his life-changing meeting with Christ on the road to Damascus, the apostle recognized the weakness of his zeal and “strength” in opposing Him. He wrote about a “thorn in the flesh” that plagued him the rest of his life, an undisclosed affliction that ensured his humility.

Paul said three times he pleaded with God to remove the “thorn,” until he realized it was a blessing and not a curse. “…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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).

Seems to me what Jesus really wants is not followers who flex their own muscle and resolve, but ones so in tune with their weakness and insufficiency that they constantly call upon Christ to empower them to do whatever He calls them to do.

As Paul wrote a bit earlier, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness” (2 Corinthians 11:30). Maybe if we become weak enough, we’ll see God exerting His strength through us in ways we could never have imagined.