We just celebrated Easter last Sunday and if there is a greater story of strength arising from weakness, I would love to hear it. Jesus had been killed and His disciples were despondent. Jesus, who had allowed himself to be captured, was charged with false claims tortured for His failure to renounce what the authorities were saying about Him, and then ultimately was killed to appease the leaders of that time. It was officially the second act for Christianity as everything that had been worked for and invested in throughout Jesus ministry was now destroyed. It was at this moment, the precise divine appointment, that God chose to demonstrate how the death of His Son become the greatest gift our world has ever known.
Weakness. Powerless. Hopeless. We have or will experience these seasons in our lives, where darkness threatens to overwhelm us in our despondence and suffering takes up residence in our hearts. And just like that moment over two thousand years ago we are faced with a choice, how are we to respond during times of suffering and pain?
Here is a crazy thought, "What if those times of trouble could also be meant as a time of blessing?"
In fact, here is an even crazier thought, “How are we supposed to invest these gifts (God's Words, not mine) of our pain, suffering and weakness, thus allowing God to accomplish what we could never dream possible?"
On its surface this question seems riddled with paradox, people only invest in assets to increase their value, they try to eliminate or minimize or even cover up liabilities. And most of us would consider our weaknesses as liabilities — deficiencies to minimize or cover up.
But, if you'll give me just a moment to explain, What if God, in his providence, gives us our weaknesses just as he gives us our strengths? Because in God’s economy, the return on investment He most values is “faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6). And in God's eyes, weaknesses are assets — we can even call them talents — to be stewarded, and to be invested into Kingdom work. A even more difficult truth is that the most valuable asset God has given you and me perhaps is not a strength, but a weakness.
The apostle Paul provides us with the clearest theology of the priceless value of weakness. He tells us of his experience of being “caught up into paradise,” where he received overwhelming and divine revelations (2 Corinthians 12:1–4). But as a result, Paul says, ". . . A thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:7–10)
In these few sentences, Paul completely reframes the way Christians are to view weaknesses, even the deeply painful ones that can appear to hinder our calling and that the powers of darkness seek to exploit. Which is why God says that what first may appear to be an unwanted liability can turn out to be our most valuable, God-given asset. (Romans 8:28)
And that’s the surprising value of our weaknesses: they manifest God’s power in us in ways our strengths don’t. That’s what Jesus meant when he told Paul, “My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9) — “perfect” meaning complete or entirely accomplished. Our weaknesses are indispensable because God manifests the fullness of his power through them.
Paul considered his weaknesses a crucial part of the portfolio his Master had entrusted to him. So, he determined to invest them well in order that his Master would see as much of a return as possible. (Paul is referencing Matthew 25:14-30)
Which brings us to Jesus’s parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14–30). You might remember that Jesus is teaching that all of us have been given different “talents” to steward, assets of immense kingdom value, “each according to his ability” (Matthew 25:15). And his expectation is that we will invest them wisely while we wait for his return.
We tend to view the assets in this parable as gifts, talents, those things that in our eyes bring value to our existence, but God is also reminding us that some of our talents are our weaknesses, our inadequacies and limitations, which He’s also given to us. And He’s given us these weaknesses not only to increase in us the invaluable and shareable treasure of humility (2 Corinthians 12:7), but also to increase our strength in the most important aspects of our being: faith and love (2 Corinthians 12:10).
Since “it is required of stewards that they be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2), we would be wise to examine how faithfully we are stewarding the talents of our weaknesses. So, how well are you investing the weaknesses you’ve been given?
(Inspired by devotions from Rick Warren and Jon Bloom)
