Turning our weakness into a strength

If there is one benefit of growing older is that you become aware of your weaknesses and are at peace with them.  In fact, you learn (and I am still learning) that God take take our weaknesses and turn them into strengths.

Let's me give you an illustration of that. 

One of my weaknesses is that I am very aware of what people are thinking, saying or projecting when I am with them.  That's a weakness in that sometimes I am either A) Wrong about what they are thinking or B) So sensitive to what they are thinking or saying that I am bothered more by it than they are.

God, however, over the years has used that as a strength in that I can be aware of when people are hurting and are in need of prayer.

We don't like to admit our weakness do we.

One author writes, "It's the most dreaded question of the job interview, and when the time comes, you can't seem to push the words out of your mouth. "Tell me," the interviewer asks, "what's your greatest weakness?" How do you answer that question? If you don't come up with something, you sound arrogant, but if you come clean with your weakness, they might not hire you.

He goes on to write, "Monster.com, the job search website, describes a variety of strategies for answering that question. One approach is to disguise your weakness as strength. For example, you might say, "I'm such a perfectionist I sometimes expect too much of myself or others."

Another strategy is to minimize your weakness by explaining how you've already overcome it: "I can be a very task-oriented person, but I've learned that working with people is the most effective way to accomplish a goal."

A third strategy is to share a real weakness, but make sure it is completely irrelevant to the position. If you're applying for an accounting position, for example, you don't want to admit that you're not a detail person.

Maybe you heard about the manager being interviewed for a new position. "My department has turned a profit every quarter for the past five years," the candidate says. "I've never had a personnel problem, and I've always gotten superior performance reviews."

"Very impressive," the interviewer replied. "And what's your greatest weakness?"

"I tend to exaggerate."

Revealing our weaknesses is one of the last things in the world we want to do, whether we're looking for a job, pursuing a relationship, or just talking to friends. We don't like to admit our weaknesses to ourselves, let alone to other people.

That's why we stack our resumes with degrees earned, awards received, and professional accomplishments. There's no heading for "Weaknesses and Liabilities" on most resumes.

If you're placing an ad in the personals section of a newspaper, you're probably not going to lead with, "Neurotic, out-of shape slacker looking for a relationship that will last longer than my previous three marriages."

So who are we kidding? We know we have weaknesses, and so does everyone else.

After all, we're only jars of clay. We're not designer vases made of fine china to be admired from a distance. We're not stainless steel pots that never scratch, rust, or dent. We're ordinary, fragile, imperfect vessels that happen to be carrying within us a treasure called the life of Christ.

As long as we have that life within us, we are unbreakable, even in the face of hardship, heartache, and need. Every clay pot comes with weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and imperfections. But we don't have to deny or disguise those weaknesses or dismiss them as insignificant. On the contrary, we can own our weaknesses and allow God to turn them into strengths.

Finally, let's imagine that a pastoral search committee received a cover letter from a candidate that read like this:

I should like to apply for the pastoral vacancy you advertised. I have many qualifications that I think you would appreciate. I'm a good organizer, and I have been a leader most places I've gone. I have been able to preach with power, though people say I am not terribly eloquent. I've done some writing, but some people have found my letters hard to understand, and I'm the first to admit my handwriting is barely legible.

I'm over 50 years old. I have never preached in one place for more than three years at a time, and most of the churches I've served have been small. In some places, my ministry has led to riots and disturbances, and I've been jailed on several occasions—unjustly, of course. My health is not good, but I get quite a bit done and have a good work ethic. I generally work well with people, but I have been known to knock heads with colleagues and have found that there are some people I simply can't work with. I'm pretty good with names, but have been known to forget who I've baptized. I don't have a permanent address, but I will do my best to keep in touch."

You might say, "well, there's one candidate that we don't need to contact or pursue any further."

In saying that, you would be turning down none other than Paul the Apostle - the greatest Christian who has ever lived.

So....let God turn your weaknesses into strengths today.