“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.” —2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)
We spend much of life trying to hide our limp—our inadequacies, insecurities, and frailties. But Paul invites us to turn weakness on its head. In the very place we most want God to remove a thorn, He plants something better: grace.
God’s answer isn’t usually escape, but rather endurance. “My grace is sufficient,” the Lord says—not for the strong, but for the struggling. His power isn’t displayed through our polished resumes or perfect plans. It’s made perfect in our unraveling.
To boast in weakness is not to celebrate defeat, but dependence. Grace doesn’t coddle—it carries! It girds us in patience when the night is long, and our prayers seem to go unheard. It steadies our voice when we feel voiceless. It reminds us that God’s presence is not proven by our strength, but by His faithfulness in our need.

The world prizes strength that conquers, but heaven reveals a different glory: strength that submits, loves, and waits. Jesus did not climb the cross in triumph—but in obedience, carrying the fullness of weakness so that we might be clothed in His power.
This is the strange beauty of the gospel. We live by dying, conquer by yielding, and are made whole through being broken. In a culture obsessed with control, Paul’s words are a defiant anthem: I will boast gladly—because when I am weak, then I am strong.
Grace meets us there. Not just with mercy, but with might. And the more aware we are of our fragility, the more visible the brilliance of His strength becomes.