In Second Corinthians, St. Paul tells us, “Whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” He goes on for several verses telling that his strength is in his weakness.

Simply put, Paul seems to be saying that when he acknowledges his real weaknesses and doesn’t try to deny them, it is at that point that he opens himself up to accepting the power of God to work within him. When he is experiencing his weakness, it is then that he is able to experience God’s strength by relying on Him.

A good example of this is in Alcoholics Anonymous. The members don’t talk about their addiction in the past tense. They don’t say I was an alcoholic. Rather they say I am a recovering alcoholic.

This present tense allows God to be present to them at all times. Their awareness of their weakness is their strength. They rely on God to remain recovering and that is what keeps them sober.

St. Paul in many ways acknowledges his weaknesses. He lets us know that he is not self-sufficient. In fact, he tells us that it is his weaknesses that keep him from being self-sufficient.

One day, St. Paul was troubled by what he called “the sting of the flesh.” He asked to Lord to remove it. The answer he received was, “my grace is sufficient for you.” These words helped Paul and can help us find true strength from God in our weakness.

God bless.