The Lord said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” –II Corinthians 12:9
Our culture is obsessed with self-worth and self-love as the cure for misery produced by life’s troubles. Increasingly I have seen t-shirts and social media posts with the words “you are enough” or “you are worthy.” In a world grasping for any help from life’s troubles apart from the gospel of Jesus Christ, the hope proclaimed is self. There is no hope outside of you, they say. You are your own and only hope.
Paul had a thorn in his side. Whatever that thorn was, he pleaded with the Lord for its removal. The Lord did not say, “Paul, you are enough. You are worthy.” If the flood of my own misery and doubt finds its watershed in my own heart, then my heart cannot also be its own savior. Paul’s inner weakness would not have been helped to search deeper within for strength; rather, in weakness look to the Lord for grace.
The “you are enough” and “you are worthy” teaching pushes you to self-improve, as if depression and misery and fear will be helped by looking more to yourself for strength. You will never be enough. If you lived a thousand years, you will never finally achieve worth enough to be enough. Your weakness is a failure of strength; therefore, strength is not found deeper within yourself. Only more weakness.
Years may go by, and as trials and troubles continue to mount eventually you find you lack of strength to deceive yourself that “you are enough,” leading to the dread of despair. A hopeless venture like walking through a wet peat bog. Sure, you may travel a ways, but not forever.
If I really am enough, as our culture says, then why do I have to lie to myself and boast in a strength I know that I do not have to convince myself I am enough? Instead of having to produce new ways to convince myself I am enough, a self-deceit that only leads into hopeless exhaustion of works-based salvation, Scripture leads me to trust in a greater, eternal strength in God.
False teachers came into the church in Corinth undermining Paul’s authority and gospel by saying, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account” (II Corinthians 10:10). They boasted about their eloquent speech, strong appearances, and impressive personalities. Instead of boasting in strength, Paul boasts that in his weakness his life demonstrates the power of Christ resting upon him.
Paul says this weakness is something to “boast all the more gladly.” The joy is not in my weakness, but that in my weakness the power of Christ may rest upon me. “You are enough” and “you are worthy” are expressions of pride. Christ taught us, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). This means my satisfaction is not myself or that I am enough, but my weakness is my strength in Christ. Whatever weakness which drives away self-reliance and self-exaltation is a weakness to boast all the more gladly in, for in my weakness Christ’s power rests upon me. I am not enough, but the Lord’s grace is enough.
Heavenly Father, what a precious mercy our weakness is, receiving a true view of ourselves not being enough, that You would demonstrate Your power in our weaknesses and that Your grace truly is sufficient for us. Grant to us grace to remember our needs that our weaknesses would draw us more dependent upon You. You who are trustworthy, mighty, and good. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
