“Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.”
2 Corinthians 12:9 MSG – A verse of the day from the Bible presented in Eugene Peterson’s contemporary version called The Message. Accompanied by a personal reflection below.
This is a faith of paradoxes. Paul is saying he is strong when he is weak, and that he appreciates the “gift” of being “cut down to size”. Is that not amazing? This is the effect of the gospel of Christ that works within us: it makes us trust in the promises of God who comforts us with the words, “My grace is enough; it’s all you need.” And when we are accepting, nay, welcoming of the many trials in our life’s journey, we too will be able to say with confidence, “the weaker I get, the stronger I become.”
