Power in Weakness

A friend of mine has started studying "The Purpose-driven Life" by Rick Warren. According to her, Warren advises that we stop dabbling and trying to do it all so we started talking about narrowed focus and what each of ours might be. She wrote this:

"...it seems to me that you are gifted in “truth telling.” And by that, I mean you are able to take God’s word and show others what it means in their lives. You have the ability to put things so realistically without being preachy, if that makes sense. ... Your willingness to be brutally honest with yourself and in your own life is a living testimony, Maggie. When I think of how you faced your SSA [same-sex attraction] and then confessed it to [your husband], your children, your family, your friends, and your pastors, I do stand amazed."

Truth-telling. Brutal honesty with myself and my life. I've been wondering how to approach this blog. Do I want to come across as someone who has it all together? Would I weaken the things I want to say if I shared openly and honestly like I do elsewhere? My friend is saying, in essence, "No! Keep being open and honest!"

I was reminded of Paul's statement, "...'My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me." (2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT) I opened bible.crosswalk.com (easier than opening my Bible) to see the context and began to cry. The first thing that caught my glance was that the passage about weakness follows immediately after Paul's discussion about the thorn-in-the-flesh God had given him. I have such a thorn. It is an unabated hunger and desire for a woman I love dearly but from whom I chose to walk away a year and a half ago because I'd rather have Jesus and Jesus, through His Word, makes it very clear that homosexuality is outside of His will. (You can read my story here.)

Paul writes (beginning in the middle of verse 7), "...But to keep me from getting puffed up, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from getting proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, 'My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me."

I was amazed to see that, in the study tools listed for this passage, one commentary addresses homosexuality. What prompted those who organized bible.crosswalk.com to connect homosexuality with Paul's discussion on weakness and thorns? I felt loved and affirmed by God. He KNOWS!

Something else jumped out at me from this passage. Why did God need to keep Paul from getting puffed up? Verses 1-7 are about Paul's experience with visions, revelations and being caught up into the third heaven. This is something I long for and somehow it's all connected. God has given me a thorn in the flesh to keep me humble, to keep me aware of just how weak I am so that Christ's strength and power will be visible. And as I show you, my reader, my weakness and Christ's strength and power is thus revealed, GOD gets all the glory. In the end, whether God grants my request to experience visions, revelations and visits to heaven or not, it doesn't matter. Verse 10 says, "Since I know it is all for Christ's good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."