2 Corinthians 12:9 - "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"
If you haven't ever heard, Paul had a "thorn" about which he routinely wrote. It was his personal sin that haunted him and challenged his Christian principles. Paul continually asked God to take this "thorn" away, but in this passage we hear that God responded, "No".
But like any good parent, God does not just say no, but rather He provides His perfect reason. Ultimately we learn that God knows He is glorified in the strength that He gives Paul in continually resisting this sin (i.e., "thorn"). Furthermore, beyond just resisting this sin, God reminds us that His grace COVERS Paul's sin!
I don't know about you, but I do not like to be weak in ANY situation. Whether it is physical strength or emotional strength, I want to believe I can handle just about everything.
The reality is far different, however. There is always someone out there who can bench press more than I can, or who can do more pull-ups. I continually hear of persons faced with unthinkably painful situations in their lives (i.e., kids with cancer, adultery) that cause me to wonder if I could even survive their circumstances if they were my own.
And that is where the strength of this verse comes in. God is directly telling Paul (and you and me) that His grace covers ALL of our weaknesses. In fact, if we have those weaknesses, they need not be things to shame us. Rather, because He is glorified through our weaknesses by 1) giving us supernatural strength and 2) highlighting His power and grace in covering them, we can be free to be authentic to the world around us.
I hope this verse from 2 Corinthians will encourage you today and in the future. We all have weaknesses that we wish we did not have. Remembering that God's mercy has all of them covered should bring you peace and hope.
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