Endure Through the Pain to Become Strong

“For when I am weak, then I am strong” 2 Corinthians 12: 10b.

In this passage, Paul focuses on a “thorn in the flesh” given to keep him humble, declaring that God’s grace is sufficient and power is perfected in weakness.

To read the passage for context, click here.

We Must Confront Our Weaknesses

We must confront our weaknesses in order to overcome them. And the way we are confronted with them is with obstacles or trials or temptation.

Let’s take the metaphor of a runner, for example. A runner will never become mature and complete as a runner unless he encounters obstacles and challenges himself.

He might think he’s a great runner, but as soon as he gets in a race with other runners who’ve been challenged, he’ll quickly learn the sobering truth. The only way he is made aware of his weaknesses in order to overcome them is by obstacles.

We Endure Challenges to Grow

He might be a great athlete until it’s 95 degrees and humid, or he doesn’t feel good or the terrain is challenging. By confronting these obstacles, he’s made aware of his weaknesses.

He now has a choice to make. He can give up because it’s too hard, or he can press through the challenge and gain endurance. If he chooses to press through, he will have confronted his weakness to gain strength in this weak area.

But the runner must be made aware of his weaknesses by encountering hurdles (literal or otherwise). This is the only way to gain the opportunity to increase his strength or endurance.

To read another post related to Endure Through the Pain to Become Strong, see Righteousness: How Is It Produced in the Believer?