Delight in It

II Corinthians 12 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Human nature normally does not like to exhibit any weakness, we retaliate when we’re insulted, we ask, “Why?” when things get hard, we cower in persecution, and we complain when life is difficult to understand.  But the writer of this verse says he “delights” in these things.  What?

I often think about snow skiing, and how much equipment is required, the long lines in which people wait to get up to the top of the mountain, the blowing cold wind and snow, and the training and skill required to ski down a slippery slope.  Yet, people are thrilled to do it.  It’s the anticipation of skiing down a mountain that motivates them to go through all of the work, time, and training required to do so.  The thrill of the accomplishment, and the fun of the ride, makes it worthwhile.

The end of these verses says the same sort of thing when it states that in our weakness, we are strong.  In other words, all of the difficult things in life, to those who believe, are promised to bring about good.  There’s a thrilling ride awaiting those who push forward, in the blinding wind and the steep incline. 

God’s grace is what gets us through, and his power is perfected as we make it up to the top the hill.  And the ride with him by our side is a delight for a lifetime!