Title: Weakness Becomes Strength
Contents
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong; God chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are. so that no flesh should boast before God."
Achilles in Greek mythology is a legendary hero born of Thetis, the sea goddess, and King Peleus. Achilles' mother begged Zeus to make the child immortal, and Zeus told him that if the child was immersed in the River Stix, it would become a steel body that could not be penetrated by swords and spears. His mother grabbed Achilles' heel and threw him into the river. Achilles was transformed into a superman that could not be penetrated by any steel. However, his mother's hand held his heel, so the river could not reach him, and his heel became the weakest part, and he died after being struck by a poisoned arrow in the heel during the Trojan War. The word derived from this is the 'Achilles' heel', which means fatal weakness. Everyone has an Achilles heel. No sports hero, a great politician, or a huge tycoon, doesn't have an Achilles heel. It could be a physical thing, or it could be a weakness in the mind. Rather than chasing limitless desires, overcoming the Achilles heel in me will be the fertilizer that makes the given life beautiful.
We all have at least one weakness. Whether it be a physical disability, a personality defect, or a family problem, nothing is perfect. We usually try to deny these weaknesses. Or they blame others and try to make excuses or hide them. I try to get rid of it and pray for it. But God seems to have a different view of our shortcomings. As the text says, our weaknesses are not accidental, but are intended in our lives for the purpose of showing God's power. According to the Bible, the leaders that God used greatly were imperfect people who had one crucial weakness in the beginning. You can see that he accomplished great things by using countless imperfect people such as Moses, who possessed a fiery nature, a prayer house with a dwarf complex, a cowardly Abraham who could not even take responsibility for his wife, and Peter with an impulsive temperament. That is God's main specialty.
Therefore, those who have no weaknesses, blemishes, faults, or sins have nothing to do with Jesus. However, you should not become a person who makes blemishes, faults, and sins by force.
He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. I take pleasure in things, in reproach, in want, in persecution, in hardship, for when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:9, 10).
We usually think that in order to be used by God, we must have extraordinary abilities or talents. So, they ask for it, and if they don't, they give up. But God is by no means limited by human limitations. Whether or not God uses me is not a matter to be decided by my weakness. People like to put expensive things in good looking vessels, but God likes to put treasures in worn out earthen vessels.
“We have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that it may be known that exceedingly great power belongs to God and not to us.”
(2 Corinthians 4:7)
In a way that is different from our conventional wisdom, He chooses a vessel that holds good treasures.
The Apostle Paul also said:
“If I must boast, I will boast in my weakness” (2 Corinthians 11:30).
Then, like the Apostle Paul, we must be able to thank God even if we cannot boast of our shortcomings. Because my weakness makes me more dependent on the Lord, making me a perfect person close to the Lord. Our pain, our mistakes, and our wounds are useless. God does not throw away any of them, and He uses them all. Human perfection before God is only an illusion. Instead, the courage to be honest about our weaknesses makes us healthy. He does not see our weaknesses as weaknesses, but makes great use of them in our humility. Let's appreciate and love our weaknesses.
* Prayer: Lord, who creeps in among the little ones, do not let me be discouraged or ashamed because of my weakness. Make me low and soften every day. Help me to learn to lose through service every day. Help me to follow the path of the Lord, who showed the example of victory through defeat. Let our weaknesses become instruments of your grace. Looking only at my weaknesses, I hold onto my discouraged heart again and ask for God's help. Seeing that all things are in your hands, move forward in faith. Help me in my weakness, give me comfort and peace in my heart. Let all the darkness in our hearts fade away, and always resist the enemy the devil, who constantly gives us discouragement and despair, and through your grace, make us a refuge, so that we may receive blessings for all generations. In the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.