Guest blog post! We have Maribeth Poole sharing this:
It’s one of the verses displayed on cards for the purpose of encouragement. But if I am honest, I have a ‘love/hate’ relationship with the truth.
“When I am weak, He is strong.”
Why isn’t the promise “When you are weak, I will make you strong”?
Weakness is far from my preference! I do not like to live in the varied arenas of my weaknesses! It leaves me vulnerable. It can be embarrassing, and at times leaves me aware of my ultimate powerlessness to make life different in ways that I desire!
We start at birth being vulnerable in the big world, inadequate in caring for ourselves. Weak. At the mercy of those big people around us.
Ideally, we were to experience that being weak creates the environment for someone to tenderly and with strong intention enter our world in order to make sure we are cared for. To learn experientially that we are so precious and loved that our needs will be met. It is safe to be weak, because there are those who are stronger who will join us. Weakness is an opportunity to be loved.
I did not saturate in this environment, giving me a confidence and settled-ness in my weakness. This sadly plays out in my daily living, including my resistance with God. I tend to want for Him to make me strong and invulnerable. I’d rather be strong than to settle into the tender but strong ways He comes into my life to ‘have my back’ and love on me well.
The more I experience and focus on the remarkable ways He comes into my daily life, I am gradually growing in my amazement and confidence. My weaknesses are an opportunity for God to love on me.
I most certainly want for the trend of this inconvenient truth to continue!
To read more of Maribeth’s blogs check out her website. If you want to learn more about attunement and attachments, check out her new video course.
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Thank you for sharing. As I get more comfortable with my weakness in His arms, I am able to see the weakness in others and respond to them in the way my Lord responds to mine. In my childhood, I ridiculed the weakness in others; in my young adult years, I felt superior and magnamous as I helped others in their weakness; now increasingly aware of my own weaknesses, I both rely on Jesus as well as look on others with gentleness I receive from Him.
Thank you for your faithful comments and sharing! Weakness is hard to embrace and hard to accept, but it is a blessing when we can be tender towards weakness in ourselves as well as others.
Thank you Maribeth & Hee-Choon Sam Lee for these good & beautiful words of encouragement to rest & trust in our Great & Compassionate Heavenly Father; including, in our weakness~May God give us His abundant Grace to do so as we’re in this journey Home together 😊 Much Shalom & Blessings with Love All Around,~Mike & Deana
In preparing for Thrive 3, I have become aware that I have holes in Level 1 maturity. Healing at this level requires people who can anticipate and appropriately offer what I need.
Ironically it has been due to me using a cane that some people have been ‘stepping up to the plate’! My apparent weakness has provided opportunities for others to operate as ‘Gentle Protectors’.
Reminds me of how Someone can make all things work for the good.
I hope I can more often look at the weakness of others as a way for me to creatively love them! It’s good to see the comments of my good friends here – we are all together on this journey of making it safe to admit weakness and let others love us towards healing. Hello Maribeth, Sam, Mike, Deana, and Erna! Some of my favorite people. 🙂