Your Weakness is God's Greatest Gift

Your weakness is God's greatest gift to you. Let me tell you why.

A pastor who I listen to a lot says (jokingly) that he prays for his enemies to get really drunk and start confessing all of their sins in public places. Now he doesn't really mean this, but the thought behind it is golden. Can you imagine standing in front of all your family and friends and owning up to your deepest darkest sins? The stuff that no one knows but God? The stuff that you're trying to pretend isn't even there? That's a terrifying thought, and it should be.

Sometimes I feel so guilty about my sin (as I should) and I look around at everyone else and see holy smiles and pious countenances and figure "Man, I must be a pretty vile guy!" But you know what I've learned? First, it's true: I'm a pretty vile guy. But second, the holy smiles and the pious countenances are all fake! Everyone is putting on a show, even those who seem to be the holiest and the most moral. And if I'm honest, I'd admit that I put on a pretty good show too. On the inside, each of us are pretty vile guys/gals. Some of us are just better at hiding it. And hiding your sin and your weaknesses is one of the most dangerous things you can do as a Christian.

As I've grown in grace and learned to be more open and honest about my sins, my struggles, and my weaknesses, I've found out that everyone else around me has the same doubts, fears, sins, and temptations. As a matter of fact, there's not a sin that I've confessed or a weakness I've dealt with that someone else I know hasn't struggled with as well. The same is certainly true for you as well.

Confessing our sins and admitting our shortcomings is good for at least two reasons. First of all, it shows us that we are not alone in our struggles and trials. God has given us churches and the Christian family to encourage us. But realizing that everyone else is like us isn't going far enough. In fact, there is a danger in realizing that everyone else struggles with the stuff we do and then thinking we are off the hook. That's a form of self-justification that runs from the cross. Secondly, confession strips us bare of every attempt to be good on our own. When we confess, we are admitting defeat: not only the defeat of giving into sin, but also the defeat of our own attempts to change ourselves outside of the power of Christ. And when we do that, we are dealing with the fact that our best attempts to save ourselves are insufficient and our own power is stunningly scrawny. And that's when we are forced to run to Jesus and rest in His power. But when we are weak, He is strong. As He himself said, "my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9). The funny thing about being at the end of your rope is that's where Jesus shows up.

Confession is the act of dealing with the truth about ourselves. In confession, we look at ourselves through God's eyes and bite the bullet of reality. Here, our pride and our self-sufficiency melt away. And that would be a scary thought if it weren't for the cross. Because of the cross, we can be radically honest about ourselves, to ourselves and to others. Jesus took the shame and bore the wrath for us of every sin we've committed. Seen through God's eyes in Christ, we are perfectly just and vindicated. Because of Jesus, we are perfectly loved. And that's the only reason why we can be radically honest: because we know that God loves us unconditionally! If you know nothing can drive God away from you, then you are free to be radically honest, and that's a very good thing! (Rom. 8:38-9).

The same pastor tells the story of how he once had a summer lifeguarding job. One problem a lifeguard can have is when someone much bigger and stronger than he is starts drowning. You can't go and save them because they will pull you down with them! So what do you do? You wait until the guy has given up and is about to go under, and then you rescue him. Only when he's given up on his own efforts to save himself can the lifeguard go and save the drowning man. That's what Jesus does to us. In fact, those are the only terms He will save us on. We would do well to remember that.

Thanks to Steve Brown and Key Life for the examples!