“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10, ESV)
The Apostle Paul says that there is strength in weakness. These words sound strange to our ears in modern America. Strength and self-reliance are valued. Weakness not so much. Weakness does not sit well with our American cultural and social ideals. Pretty much everyone these days, not just celebrities and politicians, tries to avoid admitting to any weakness, mistakes, or failures. If caught, they will most likely deny, lie, or blame someone else or spin the whole thing so they come out on top. And those few people in our contemporary culture who do boast about weakness and suffering do so to proclaim themselves as heroes for having the grit and determination to face their challenges and handicaps and to overcome them. And these days the media and public opinion is quick to proclaim almost everyone to be a hero.
This is also common in some churches. A lot of so called Christians run around, touting their superior gifts and abilties including preachers, and pastors. Few admit to negative feelings, doubt, struggles, emotional troubles, sickness, fear, anxiety or discouragement. Any such negative confession is often thought to be sin.
And in a way that is true, for fear demonstrates a lack of faith in God and His promises. Yet we can take those fears to the Lord and confess to Him our weakness and our sinfulness, as well as surrender our desires, our ideas of how things should be done. Then we become weak so that He can do great things through us. Our strength stands in His way, especially if we think we are big shots and really important, or possess worldly credentials and talents the world admires and praises. We ought not allow Satan to trick us into thinking we are more important than we really are. We are called to humble ourselves and give ourselves to God so He can uses us as the ambassadors of His Kingdom.