Identity, Value, & Weakness

A Means to Experience More of God

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (TPT)

“But he answered me, “My grace is always more than enough for you, and my power finds its full expression through your weakness.” So I will celebrate my weaknesses, for when I’m weak I sense more deeply the mighty power of Christ living in me. So I’m not defeated by my weakness, but delighted! For when I feel my weakness and endure mistreatment—when I’m surrounded with troubles on every side and face persecution because of my love for Christ—I am made yet stronger. For my weakness becomes a portal to God’s power.”

There are two systems at play, working at all times. Each vies for our agreement and obedience. The world’s system, and God’s. Sadly, much of the “church” has adopted this system and counts it even righteously. I’ve spent more of my life predominantly (albeit largely unknowingly) in agreement with it. What I mean by that is, how have I chosen to count my value or worth? How have I measured my own? For me personally it’s mostly been through accomplishments and successes. What I’ve done within ministry, what I’ve done as someone who’s published things across poetry, art, and a measly book. I counted it as value when I started a company at 19. I counted it when I found favor among church staffs, or Christian organizations. And, in many seasons, I used to preemptively throw those out as a “value resume” so that I could try to have someone see me as more valuable or accomplished than those around me. It’s where I drew my worth. Nowadays I find myself infinitely more drawn toward a weighted caution of wanting deeply to not go the way of the religious leaders of Jesus’s day. If I find myself in pride and arrogance like the Pharisees and Sadducees, how am I any better off than those Jesus called a “brood of vipers”?

Finding our worth and value solely in our role as sons and daughters felt like such a shallow and easily understandable task to grasp. Yet, as God continues to grow me, humble me, and mature me as a son, I find that idea to be increasingly deeper and deeper as I go. A simple, “yup, I understand that” was what I’d say internally and keep moving on. As God calls my wife and I to continue building towards our purpose and calling, it has become such a responsibility and safeguard to live out of that place. I find it so crucially necessary to keep myself in a place of operating within that, so much so, that the thought of taking one step outside of the role, feels like death— or even worse, operating against God.

Knowing that anything I “do” is so minuscule compared to my identity in God, if I do anything outside of that, I’ve already partnered with the world’s system. The world’s system thrives on, celebrates, and elevates independence. But in God’s system, it’s the complete opposite. It completely thrives on, and is built upon, the value of dependence. Here’s where it can become even more sinister: when we fall, or are weak (especially within Christianity), what’s one of the most common feelings or places we go? Often it’s straight to guilt, shame, or condemnation of ourselves; even before others may get the chance to also make us feel that way. That’s also the world’s system. Reread the two verses above. I believe Paul has highlighted something I’ve rarely heard solidified or continually reiterated within Christianity. God says, “my power finds its full expression through your weakness.” WHAT?! I can’t be the only one tripping on this truth. Seriously? His FULL power? Through my weakness? How can that even be possible!? Then Paul goes on to essentially agree with it personally, “for when I’m weak I sense more deeply the mighty power of Christ living in me.”

The world’s system is what’s quick to point out - “see, you’re a sinner. See, you’re always going to fail. See, you won’t ever be able to walk this whole ‘righteousness’ thing out. See, there’s no way you can finish the race well.” How often are we told, “hey, instead of focusing on changing your sin, recognize how powerfully God can show up within it”? Now, that’s not a lobbying for us to continue sinning, but it is a mind-shift on how we walk out a pursuit of holiness. What we focus on we become. If we find more of our identity and value solely in Christ, then the more we learn of Christ, become aware of Christ, and grow in intimacy and relationship to him, the more we learn of ourselves. To wrap my limited mind or soul around the idea that God himself says his power finds its full expression through our weakness, then why do we fear our weaknesses? Why do we fear failing? If I removed the first half of that sentence and just said “do you want to find the full expression of God’s power?” Who wouldn’t want to know how to find that? If I just took Paul’s statement of “I sense more deeply the mighty power of Christ living in me.” Who wouldn’t want to know what he did to sense that!? And therein lies the heart of this post. The world’s system designed it to create unbelief (in ourselves and God). The world’s system created a built-in mechanism to say and make us feel invalidated, unqualified, and unworthy to even be close to God because of our weaknesses. And yet, our loving God is saying the complete opposite. In this way, it becomes an invitation to experience more of the fullness of God within our lives.

Our mistakes or failures do create natural consequences we must face, clean up, and walk out. But that neither disqualifies us, nor should it keep us from connection or intimacy with our God. Instead our Savior from the "world’s system” says that we can experience his strength, his power, and his expression. Our weakness don’t have to create a distancing from God, rather, they can become, as the Passion translation puts it, “a portal to God’s power.” Even in sin, our merciful, loving God, has made a way for us to experience him all the more.