"But he 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. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am made strong. "
-2 Corinthians 12:9-10
It is so rewarding to me to be able to look back on the person I was a year ago and the route in which I chose to process my thoughts. Now I am able to acknowledge that things have changed, thankfully.
Coincidentally, my topic of discussion during this time last year was the same as it is now: how things seem to fall apart during the fall. That may be the most cliche thing I have said in weeks, but it is the honest truth. However, I have learned that it is much more beneficial for me to view these "things" as vulnerable matters in my life, rather than weaknesses. There is a negative connotation that comes along with the word, "weakness." Whereas "vulnerability" is a word that only reminds me of space. Space for an intervention. Space for growth. And space for His peace that passes all understanding.
My discovering of this passage was a divine intervention in every way possible and it has served as the anchor for my sanity these past couple of weeks. Because of it, I am constantly reminded that there is a source of peace and grace that goes far beyond the surface and is capable of calming the most consuming storms that stir inside me. The best work is done in me when I am in my weakest moments. And I learned very quickly that if you ask for growth, it is growth that you will receive. But it may not come in the way that you hoped it would.
I challenge myself everyday, and maybe you should too, to be thankful for the storms that God sends my way. They may break me down to the simplest and most vulnerable form of myself, but only to rebuild me stronger than I was before.
