Most Gladly

“Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”  2 Cor 12:9

Most Gladly– How do you feel about your weaknesses?  Do you try to cover them up?  Do you avoid speaking about your defects or past failures?  Do you present an unblemished image of a redeemed saint?  Well, Paul uses a word about his weaknesses that might surprise you.  The word is hedista.  It is used for great pleasures in eating and drinking.  In Paul’s usage, it could be translated “with great enthusiasm” or “with much sweetness”.  Paul describes his weaknesses the way we would describe a gourmet dinner served with the finest wine.  If this isn’t backwards, nothing is.

Why would we ever think of our weaknesses as gourmet feasts?  The reason is simple.  Where we have the greatest needs, God shows up with the greatest provisions.  Paul looks at the menu of his life and exclaims, “Oh, now I get it.  God has invited me to join Him at the King’s table.  But I kept resisting, telling Him that I had to get rid of these crackers I have in my hand.  Then I heard Him say, “Those crackers are exactly what I need to make a fabulous pie crust.  Just give them to me and take a seat at the feast.”

God never wastes anything.  We are the ones who think we have to bring all the best goods, and when we realize we can’t, then we go about trying to get rid of the things we think are not good enough.  God just smiles.  The recipe for the feast calls for exactly what you have in your hand right now. 

I can boast in my weakness only when I realize that my weakness is the substance God uses to proclaim the wonders of Jesus.  It is through my failures and hurts, my mistakes and struggle that Jesus is glorified because Jesus takes what I would throw away and makes glory out of it. 

Now how do you feel about your weaknesses?  Are they something you give to God with great enthusiasm?