Delight in Weakness

Ezekiel 2: 1-15
2 Corinthians 12:2-10

The Apostle Paul wrote much of the New Testament and many of the things he wrote were both as encouraging as they are puzzling. This passage in 2 Corinthians is no different. Paul is writing to the Corinthians to remind them to pay attention to what a prophet says and does. He is reminding them that there is more to God’s servants than just what they say, but he also reminds us that weakness is not always something we must be ashamed about.

In most societies, weaknesses are not something we see many people boasting of to others. We don’t often walk into a dinner party to hear the host say, “Thank you all for coming even though you know I cannot cook and we will all have heartburn later.” When we interview for a job, most employers will ask us what our strengths are and we gladly tell them, but when they ask about our weaknesses, we usually downplay them. Not many are going to say, “I don’t take direction well and my children often call me at work and distract me, causing me to make a few mistakes.”

In ancient times, it was no different. Weaknesses can be exploited and no one wants someone to take advantage of them. What could Paul possibly be trying to tell us when he says, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses… for when I am weak, then I am strong.”?

When a person finds themselves lacking in an area, they have two choices. They can either figure out a way to be better or they can accept help. There are some weaknesses that can never be fully overcome. Paul suffered from one such weakness and he prayed and begged God for years to take this burden from him, and each time was refused. Each of us has what we would call a thorn in our flesh the same as Paul. Something that has burdened our lives and kept us from accomplishing all the things we wish we could.

Perhaps it is a long illness such as cancer or MS. Perhaps you suffer from depression or have a problem controlling your temper. Perhaps you have a tendency to pick the wrong friends or the wrong partner. Perhaps you have become addicted to alcohol or drugs or pornography. Perhaps you are the type of person that does not feel complete unless you are needed and so you surround yourself with needy people. Perhaps you have a weakness for causing trouble or drama in your own life and others. Perhaps you are excessively proud and refuse to ask for help no matter how badly you need it.

Every one of us has a weakness; Paul says there is no shame in being weak. The reason he says this is because in our weakness we are forced to look to God for our strength. If this weakness refuses to leave us, the only person who is strong enough to help us is Jesus Christ. Paul tells us that he will boast of his weakness so that Christ’s power may rest over him. We too should not be ashamed of our weaknesses, but instead we should ask that God be with us as we fight against them.

Every year my grandmother, mom and I go on a vacation to Pittsburgh. This year we are going at the end of July. Every year we go out on the Gateway Clipper for their hour ride down the three rivers. During this ride, the captain gives little bits of information about the various buildings and landmarks. One year, I remember him telling us about the US Steel Building. When it was first built, the company used a new steel product where the steel starts off as a rusty orange color and then darkens as the years go by. Apparently, the reason for it darkening is that as the building is exposed to the elements the steel resists the effects of the wind, rain, snow, ice and fog by forming a coating of dark brown oxidation over the metal. The result being that every year that building is exposed to the things that weaken most other buildings, the US Steel building becomes more resistant; it becomes stronger.

If we are to become stronger despite the various weaknesses that we battle against, we need something to help us through. Without thorns in our flesh, human beings have a tendency to become conceited and mean. It is through our weaknesses that we learn to sympathize with others, it is through our shared pains that we are able to have compassion upon the rest of the world.

It does not make our painful moments any less hurtful. It does not make our weaknesses any less than another’s. But what we learn is to be human and that life is short and bittersweet. Jesus is God and yet he never threw his weight around while he walked among us. Jesus is always compassionate, always careful of other’s feelings, and always willing to help heal and soothe our pains away. How can God be so empathetic?

It is because God has experienced pain and hurt as well. Throughout the bible we see many times where humanity has turned away from God; many times where God cries out about our wickedness and how ungrateful we are to all God has done. God feels sorrow. God feels anger and sadness and pain. Just as we do. A God that loves so deeply cannot help but also feel sorrow and pain just as deeply.

There is a song I heard the other day by a group called Thompson Square. The words are quite beautiful and remind me of this passage in Corinthians and what Paul is trying to tell all of us.  It begins, Trying to live and love, With a heart that can't be broken, Is like trying to see the light with eyes that can't be opened. We may shine, we may shatter, We may be picking up the pieces here on after, We are fragile, we are human, We are shaped by the light we let through us, We break fast, because we are glass.

Paul does not dispute that there are many things in this world that cause us pain. Paul just reminds us that we need those weaknesses to help us from becoming fools, and to stop us from becoming hardened to the life of others. When Paul writes that in his weaknesses, he becomes strong; the words of the song really hit home. We are shaped by the light we let through us. We are shaped by the light of Jesus Christ, but only if we are willing to open our hearts to him. We are shaped by the people we meet, and the compassion we have upon each other.

The church is a place where we should recognize not only our strengths, but our weaknesses. It is a place where even though we all have hurts, even though all of us have done wrong, we are reminded that we are not here to judge. We each walk the road we’ve been given and here in this place, we have been brought together to do good works in Jesus’ name. In this church, our weaknesses are not failures, but become a way for us to grow stronger and closer to Jesus.

Amen.