September 17, 2026
Jonathan Munson, Executive Director
“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…” 2 Corinthians 12:9,10
Everyone has weaknesses.
We might try to hide them or pretend they don’t exist, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there.
To be clear, I’m not talking about struggles with sin and temptation. I’m talking about our limitations, the areas where we aren’t as strong, smart, or as capable as we’d like to be.
Weaknesses come in all shapes and sizes. Maybe yours are physical, like a chronic condition or a nagging health issue. Maybe they’re emotional or intellectual. Or maybe you’re just getting older and no longer have the energy or ability you once had.
Whatever they are, understand this: one of life’s greatest challenges is learning how to see our weaknesses from God’s perspective and handle them in a way that brings Him honor. We all recognize the importance of stewarding our strengths, but have you ever considered that God also wants us to learn how to steward our weaknesses?
It’s not easy.
Most of us would much rather eliminate our weaknesses than try to learn anything from them. They frustrate the fool out of us. We see them only as obstacles that keep us from reaching our potential, all the while imagining how much easier life would be if God would just take them away.
Paul understood that frustration.
His mysterious “thorn in the flesh” was a constant, troubling reminder of his weakness. We don’t know what the “thorn” was, but we do know it wasn’t a minor inconvenience. The word Paul used for thorn often described a pointed spike or a sharp wooden stake, not exactly like the prick we get from a thorn while tending our garden. Whatever it was, it repeatedly brought him to his knees, begging God to take it away (
2 Corinthians 12:8).
And yet, the Lord refused his requests, saying,
“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (
2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT).
Rather than removing his weakness, the Lord gave him the grace to face it day by day. Eventually, something remarkable happened. Paul’s perspective began to change.
What had been a source of frustration became a cause for celebration. He even says he “delighted” in his weakness. Not because he enjoyed feeling inadequate, or because his thorn stopped hurting, but because he could rejoice in what God accomplished
through it. Paul’s weaknesses brought him to a desperate place where he cried out, “I can’t do this on my own.”
And that’s a very good place to be.
Perhaps that’s one reason God allows our weaknesses, to tear down our illusions of self-sufficiency and expose our need. If we allow them, our weaknesses can teach us to rely on God’s strength like nothing else. They can deepen our dependence on Christ, enrich our relationship with Him, and give us the opportunity to see His power work in ways we would’ve never seen otherwise. Joni Eareckson Tada, a quadriplegic who knows far more about weakness than I ever will, puts it this way—
“Deny your weakness, and you will never realize God’s strength in you.”
The strongest men and women of faith aren’t the most talented, the most capable, or the most gifted. They’re the ones who’ve learned to rely most deeply on Jesus. Because the Christian life is not about showcasing how strong we are; it’s about showcasing how strong Jesus is in us.
Maybe you need to hear these words today-
God is not surprised by your limitations, nor is he disappointed that you often feel weak.
Just as He did with Paul, He wants to meet you there with His all-sufficient, all-sustaining grace and show you that His grace really is enough.
So, take heart, my friend, and bring your weakness to Jesus.
Let Him gradually transform it from a source of frustration to a cause for celebration. And when you reach the limits of your abilities, remember you haven’t…nor will you ever…reach the limits of His.
DIG DEEPER
Read “Grace Causes Us to Lift Up Our Eyes” by George Wright
