...other meditations

perfection in weakness

when i looked upon the horrid scene at ground zero and what used to be the twin towers, i was reminded once again of something very significant. life is fragile. the strong material that once held the magnificent buildings upright is now the wrought sculpture of a mad artist. i-beams were warped like trash bag twist-ties and concrete has turned to dust. it is a war zone; a holocaust. with damage of this magnitude, much painstaking work is necessary to get things cleaned up. this, my friends, is how our very own lives can be.

we sometimes are weakened in our moments of strength. we become fearful all the while wishing we could be brave. when our pride comes walking in the front door, our humility flies out the window. it is true, we are fragile human beings who bruise, bleed, shed tears, feel pain and possess a spectrum of feelings. with all of the healing that needs to take place and so much cleaning needed in our own lives, someone needs to step in. we cannot do it ourselves. we need to call upon our Divine Rescuer; our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

below is one of my favorite scriptures. apostle paul is sharing about a weakness in his life; a "thorn" in his flesh, so to speak. he admits not wanting it and asks the Lord three times to remove it from him. the scriptures say:

9but He (the Lord) said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." therefore i (apostle paul) will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10that 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 recognized his weakness and cried out to God to remove it. however, his "thorn" remained the rest of his days. he accepted it and rejoiced in it, not because he liked pain and discomfort, but because he knew Christ's power would be made perfect through it. this weakness kept him grounded and humble.

let us cry out to God and give Him our weaknesses. let's pray for an answer, even if it's not the answer we'd like to hear. similar to apostle paul, our "thorn" could remain. yet, His grace is sufficient for us. the outcomes of our weaknesses hinge on our realization and acceptance of them. when we become weak, we become broken. when we are broken, we become humble. when we come before Him humble, He is then able to do a marvelous work in us. He is there to help fix us. only not with bandages, glue or duct tape, but with the real ingredients that can make us whole again: Grace, Mercy, Love, Truth and His Spirit. in our time of humility and hour of need, God turns our weaknesses into gold. life is fragile; handle with prayer!

weak in me, strong in the Lord,

tamara