Weakness or a lack of self-reliance can be a frightening thing. We think that we need to stay strong (or at least look strong) in order to stay in control and on top of things. But the truth is entirely different.

All of us have weaknesses and issues. Whether we choose to admit this is another matter. But what God wants us to realize is that our weaknesses are opportunities to experience His power and strength. Rather than hide our weaknesses, we should present them to Him in honesty, admitting that we’re not OK. He wants to help us and provide for us. But first, we need to be able to accept that we have weaknesses and problems that we can’t handle on our own.

Paul wrote about his weaknesses to the church in Corinth. He told them he asked God to take away a weakness he was struggling with.

But [God] 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. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. –2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Paul said he delighted in weaknesses, and that he’d even “boast” about them! How could he have such a positive attitude to his weaknesses? How could he claim, “when I am weak, then I am strong”? Weakness and strength are opposites. It’s like saying, “When I’m happy, then I’m sad”.

What if true power and strength don’t come through trying harder, but by giving up any attempt to be in control? This is what Paul meant when he talked about “Christ’s power” that was in him. This power wasn’t something he earned or worked hard for. Paul relied on the strength of God, and not on his own ability. This is what it means to be a Christian.

Every person in the world has weaknesses, but Christians don’t need to hide their weaknesses and “make do”. We can rely on God to help us get through whatever difficulties we’re facing. We don’t have to rely on ourselves when things aren’t OK.

God doesn’t want us to live independent, self-reliant lives. He doesn’t want us to be OK without Him—that isn’t the life we were made for, and it isn’t a satisfying way to live. It is how we try to live, but it’s not how we’re meant to live. God created us to live with Him. Relying on our own “strength”, we can often feel overwhelmed, out of our depth and confused. We quickly end up hurting ourselves and those around us.

“Christ’s power” is the new life Jesus offers us where we can live with God again. When Jesus came to earth, He did so to pay for our wrongs, mistakes and weaknesses by dying on the cross. He then rose to new life three days later. If we trust Jesus, we have joined Him in a new life and belong to God again.

We need to accept that we mess up and don’t always keep it together. In our weakness and helplessness, we need to realize that we need God, the one who is always strong, dependable and by our side.

The difference for Paul was that he used his weaknesses and difficulties to focus on God, rather than himself. Recognizing weakness isn’t about admitting defeat or saying we need to do better. Recognizing our weakness allows us to give control of our lives over to God. He knows what is best for each one of us, and He knows what He wants to achieve through the weaknesses we all struggle with.

So, what difference does relying on God’s strength make in our lives?

Adapted from Is It Ever OK to Not Be OK?, a chapter in the book “UNSHAKEN: Discovering Mental Well-Being with Biblical Hope”.

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