Strength in Our Weakness

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ~

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."

There have been times in my life when I have found myself in circumstances that I don't like and dealing with  difficult situations and at times, difficult relationships. During those times I've desperately wanted to be able to react to those situations, but I felt the Holy Spirit nudging me to respond differently.

Instead of lashing out, I  spent time praying. Instead of defending myself, I kept my mouth closed. I met anger with gentleness. I dealt with unjust accusations with a peaceful response. And it was hard!

The reason is that my human response is to be angry. It's to lash out in retaliation. It's to whine and complain and carry on. I want to force my will onto the situation. And there have been times when I want to remove myself from my circumstances.

But I've been reminded of this passage in 2 Corinthians. Paul faced beatings, imprisonment, hunger, shipwreck and near death experiences. He dealt with suspicion and accusations and yet, was able to say that his strength came from his point of weakness.

I've found that to be true as well. When I rely on Christ and turn these situations over to Him and see Him begin to work, my faith strengthens. When I keep myself from responding in anger, it diffuses the situation. The more I rely on Christ, the stronger I become.

Does that mean that my circumstances change? Not always. There have been times when the situation remains the same, but my attitude changes. The power that situation has over me is diffused. I'm able to see things in a different light and move forward.

As I rely on Christ in my weakness I gain an inner strength. My inadequacy is the conduit for God's work. It's not easy to explain and from a human point of view, makes no sense, but it's a sweet experience.