Weakness

Something occurred to me today as I was reading in 2nd Corinthians that further testifies to me that God so perfectly gave us what we needed instead of what we wanted when He sent Christ to live and die for us. In 2nd Corinthians, Paul is boasting of his weakness as testimony to God’s greatness–meaning that everything good that God was doing through Paul would be rightly attributed to God’s glory rather than glorifying Paul.

What struck me uniquely today is to realize the utter perfection in Christ coming as a man of peace–humble, submissive, and the ultimate servant–rather than as a warrior or political leader. Israel was expecting a deliverer, a warrior king that would re-establish Israel’s power as God’s chosen people. Even the disciples failed to grasp how God’s plan differed from their expectations until after Jesus’ resurrection.

We are called to be Christ-like–even the average-Joe Christian understands that to be “the goal”. Now, imagine for a moment if God had sent His Son as a warrior or as a political leader. How impossible would our lives be if we were called to be politicians and warriors! And how in the world would we all live (or survive) together if that’s what all of us were?!

No, Christ came to set an example that we all can aspire to–an example that WILL actually make the world a better place; an example that results in love rather than conquest; an example that recognizes the weakness of our flesh and calls us to glorify Him instead of seeking to glorify ourselves. In our celebrity-obsessed culture where we elevate flawed humans like ourselves to god-like status, we seemingly choose an impossible path that the overwhelming majority of us will never travel. Christ’s path does require that we set aside our selfish pride, but how many of us can say that pride has benefited our relationships or prideful pursuits have made life better for us or our fellow man?

Unlike what the world tells us, Christ simply asks us to step back from the competitive nature of human comparisons and trust Him–with all of our weaknesses, frailties, and flaws. We don’t have to “prepare” ourselves to come to Him. We don’t have to get our lives “right” and come to Him. We just have to sincerely come to Him–flaws, weakness, and all. He’ll do the rest within us.

As someone who spent the majority of my life brimming with misplaced confidence in my own abilities, I can tell you that His yoke is so much lighter. I delight in knowing now that I don’t have to figure it all out. Christ on the other hand, DID have it all figured out. He could (and can) conquer anyone and everyone with just a thought if need be, yet He set that limitless power aside to humble Himself and set the example for what we are all called to be.

Those of you who believe you have to be today’s “perfect Mommy”, or those who believe you have to conquer the business world, or those who struggle from paycheck to paycheck trying to keep up with the Joneses…

…stop it.  You don’t have to do that. Really, you don’t.

If you think you do or you think you can, you’re just kidding yourself.  Even those of you who lack confidence in yourself still struggle daily to do on your own what Christ has called you to entrust to Him.  Don’t allow insecurity to masquerade as humility while your stubborn pride refuses to surrender it all to Christ.

When Paul was still called Saul, he didn’t lack for confidence. He thought he was hot stuff in the eyes of man–until he saw Jesus. Then he saw himself as he really was:  weak, powerless, and an enemy of Jesus. He was humbled. He became a slave, a prisoner, and a servant… just like Christ.

And God used him to spread the Gospel with powerful words that we still study today. When we discover our weakness, it is then that God’s glory will triumph in our lives and in the lives of those we impact.

Thank you, Lord, for being the Savior we needed instead of the Savior we thought we wanted.