Finding Strength in Weakness

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Finding Strength in Weakness

by Dr. Alan D. Hix

August is a month of beginnings. My two granddaughters are looking forward to the excitement of being in the next grade. As a lifelong educator, I have seen August as a time for dreaming new dreams and looking forward to new possibilities as the school year begins. The business of fall activities keeps that excitement going into the Christmas break. The new year also starts with anticipation of good things to come.

However, by Spring Break, both students and teachers are ready for the school year to be over. The dreams of the year past have either been realized, dimmed, or fallen to the side. By Spring Break, we’ve settled into making it to the end.

Sometimes our spiritual lives are like that. We come into a relationship with Christ with a host of dreams and possibilities. Over time, however, that original fervor often dims, and we settle into a “getting through the day” mindset. Add to that the difficulties and crises that life throws our way, and we can lose that sense of the close connection to Christ we felt at first. We long for that original sense of intimacy, and we wonder how we will face the challenges yet to come.

The Apostle Paul had a similar experience that he relates in 2 Corinthians 12:2-9:

I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago…and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.

That experience is worth boasting about, but I’m not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses. If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth…So, to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me (NLT).

Paul had received a great gift. He had been given a glimpse of the glory of heaven that awaits believers. He would have been glad to encourage others in sharing the amazing sights and sounds. However, God threw a roadblock into that plan by allowing a difficulty to enter Paul’s life that caused him to question God’s plan. God’s response was simple, yet profound: “My grace is all you need.”

One of the struggles we have as believers is that we often assume that if we are faithful and obedience to Christ, that our lives should be relatively free from difficulty. We assume that hardship and difficulty are the exception. Paul discovered that it is those very things which challenge our faith that cause us to realize that in those moments of discouragement, God’s grace is all we need.

The hopes, dreams, and anticipations for our lives that we thought were crushed find new direction in Him. It is this shift of focus that moved Paul to conclude in verse 10, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” So, the next time you find yourself standing amidst the wreckage of your broken dreams, choose to turn to Christ, not away from Him. When we do, we discover, like Paul, God’s grace is all we need.

About The Author Dr. Alan Hix is an Associate Professor of Christian Studies at Shorter University. In addition to being and educator, he has served churches as a pastor, been involved in mission trips to Africa, Canada, and Alaska, and participated in archaeological excavations in Israel for several years.

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