“Man is born broken. He lives by mending. The grace of God is glue”

If we only knew the precious treasure hidden in infirmities, we would receive them with the same joy with which we receive the greatest benefits, and we would bear them without ever complaining or showing signs of weariness. --St. Vincent de Paul

(Scripture text: 2 Cor 12:7-10)

Brothers and sisters:

That I, Paul, might not become too elated,

because of the abundance of the revelations,

a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan,

to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.

Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me,

but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,

for power is made perfect in weakness."

I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,

in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.

Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults,

hardships, persecutions, and constraints,

for the sake of Christ;

for when I am weak, then I am strong.

We are often tricked into thinking that the more money, the more power, and the more glory we receive from others, the better we are. It’s inevitable; we are guided by media, society and ourselves to believe that the only way to be considered successful is to gain. Whether it’s respect, wealth, or reputation, we tend to think the more we have, the better we off we are. But God challenges us to think otherwise. God in fact spoke to Paul saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”

Weakness is portrayed as a negative quality and sometimes an insult when we are called “weak” by our peers. But God invites us to see that weakness is not a bad thing to possess. In fact, it is only through weakness that we receive pure strength. It is only through our flaws that we are witnesses to the true perfection in this entire universe: Jesus Christ.

When we honestly accept and acknowledge the flaws and imperfections of our lives, we can begin to truly live a life not only of Christ, but of strength. It is our failures, our problems, and our mistakes that pull us towards the One who ultimately died for our sins. It is through these flaws that we are able to see the fundamental aspects of our character, and it is through our problems that God invites us to maintain an intimate relationship with him.