But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me! So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak [in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength). 2 Cor. 12:9 & 10What a puzzle this is to me. First of all, I am about as far from taking pleasure in my weaknesses and infirmities as you can get. I pretty much hate them, and wish God would just release me from them right now. I'm pretty sure I didn't (and don't) bear them manfully.
How can it be that when I am most weak God is most strong in me--and not just strong, but most effectively strong? I'll tell you what, this has been a year of testing for me, and while I continually went to God to beg Him to get me through my days, I wonder if His light came through at all. Did He show Himself to be most effective in my weakness? Could people still see God in me? Did I honor or shame Him in my days? Does the strength in weakness all have to do with calling on God and learning to say, I can't do this, can you just replace all of me with all of You? Of course, you ask that, and then you fail miserably at the first trial that comes your way.
I'm going to try to hold on to the picture of the strength and power of Christ pitching a tent over me and dwelling upon me. It gives me comfort, it feels kind of like a hiding place. I like the idea of being in a tent, just God and me . . .
4 comments:
Do you really think that God wants to replace the you in you with Himself in you? Why would he make you in the first place if he didn't want you to be you?
I think that his strength in you makes you the you he intended you to be, not the you that your sins and the sins of a sinful world have made you into.
It might sound like semantics, but it matters to me.
Perhaps I worded this badly. When I say replace all of me with all of You, I mean to say, replace those things in me that want to go against Your will and make me into the woman you created me to be. Take my selfishness and replace it with your generosity. Take my discontent and replace it with Your peace. Take my worry and replace it with your trust. Take my words, and let them be words that honor You. I can't do any of those things on my own and so that's why I say replace all of me with all of You. Do I believe that God created me uniquely and for His good pleasure - YES I do. I just want to be better at it. Does this make sense or is this a coffee hour discussion?
Yep, that makes sense, and makes me less freaked out :-) I want to be the Tonia God created me to be and it sounds like you would agree that that is a good thing.
Coffee hour still sounds good though.
A song in church reminded me of this poem that speaks to our discussion; it's by Sir Thomas Browne
If thou could'st empty all thyeself of self,
Like to a shell dishabited,
Then might He find thee on the ocean shelf,
And say, "This is not dead",
And fill thee with Himself instead.
But thou art all replete with very thou,
and hast such shrewd activity,
That when He comes He says, "This is enow
Unto itself -- twere better let it be,
It is so small and full, there is no room for Me".
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