"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." ~2 Corinthians 12:9
There it is. God uses our weaknesses. Christians everywhere agree. I mean, this verse makes it pretty clear. However, it seems to me that there is a huge difference in the way the Body of Christ views physical weaknesses versus emotional ones.
Physical weaknesses are the things we accept. Ligaments are torn. Lungs are asthmatic. Migraines can be inherited. We feel free to tell our brothers and sisters when we struggle with these things. We ask for prayer openly.
Emotional weaknesses are the things we hide. We plaster on a smile when all we want to do is cry. We fake it with small talk. We bury it beneath activities and full schedules. No one around knows about these weaknesses until the dam breaks and the flood threatens to sweep everything away.
This is wrong. And it is not only wrong, but it is also disastrous.
Fear. Depression. Loneliness. Anger. Anxiety. Addiction. All of these issues are real to the many people who struggle with them, but so few people want to admit that they are battling these overwhelming emotions. Why?
Is it sometimes because Christians lose their patience with these weaknesses? I don't think I've ever heard a Christian tell his brother or sister, "So what? Your back has been causing you pain for two years...Get over it, already! Suck it up and move that box!" But, do we treat people with emotional weaknesses with the same amount of patience and care? Or do we tell the fear-ridden: "That's a silly thing to be afraid of!" The lonely: "Stop focusing on yourself so much!" The anxious: "Put yourself out there!" The depressed: "You've got to get over this stuff and move on!"
Fact: God can use all weaknesses. Fact: The Body of Christ needs people, and people come in unlimited varieties with different strengths, hang ups, and weaknesses. God can use all physical and emotional weaknesses if we let Him. As one devotional I recently read mentioned, He will turn our MESS into His MESSAGE. He does not want us to remain where we are. He does not want us to remain bound to anger, depression, guilt, grief, or fear. And through HIS power, we will overcome.
The overcoming of weaknesses, whether physical or emotional is EQUALLY miraculous. Seeing a person who has struggled with blindness suddenly be able to see IS JUST AS miraculous as seeing a person who struggled with trust be able to love and let others in. It is God who is responsible for both miracles. It is God who comes in and transforms. If there is no difference in the miracles, then why do we treat people differently? Weakness is weakness.
