“But he 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

This passage has been my go-to for this past month, in revealing different things to me. I used this passage in my last story about letting go of self-image issues and how it has helped me in doing so. This verse reminds me when I am in the midst of troubling times, unaware of what to do, not sure how to overcome it, God reminds me to bring it to him. God doesn’t want us to suffer by ourselves, he wants to show us how although these tribulations may seem so powerful, we serve a more powerful God.

Let’s break down the passage. The first line “my grace is sufficient for you” is God telling us not to be afraid to bring sin before him and ask for forgiveness. Grace is what distinguishes Christianity between any other religion. The forgiveness of the Creator for something which may seem unfavorable in his eyes, can be changed. God’s grace is the reason we exist, as he sent his son down to die for our sins, as an act of grace.

“For my power is made perfect in weakness” shows us God’s capability to overcome our weakness. He can take away pain, relieving us from the bondage holding us back.

The next sentence says “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” This part of the passage spoke to me the most as it instructs me to not be afraid when handling a weakness with God. For example, in my story about my self-image issues, I was very reluctant to bring this to God. I was scared I was doing the opposite of what the Bible says to love our temple and to admire God’s creation as we are the imago Dei. However, I have learned to not be so timid and instead be upfront with my problem and show God I need his help. The strongest line in that verse is “Christ’s power may rest on me,” because God’s unlimited love resides in us and when we realize this, we build our relationship stronger with our Father.

Verse 10 starts off with instructing us to take “delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.” This may sound like a juxtaposition as to why would something so awful be something to praise about. Once we are set free from our sin and things in which take us away from God, it makes it easier to share our stories to help someone else. The powerful testimonies we hear in church or simply through everyday conversations, are all examples of God’s plan to reach out to others.

“For when I am weak, then I am strong.” This last verse is what speaks the most truth, as it reveals in a time of weakness, we are strong. There are many things in which do not go our way in life. We are struck by an illness, a death, family problems, self problems, whatever it may be, it is proven life is unfair and hard. But God shows us that when we are faced with these problems, we are strong because we have him. God is rooting and standing there with us, to get us through the hard times. The devil wants us to lose and fall to our sin; yet through this passage we are taught to stay strong in our weaknesses and seek God during these times when we need him the most.