Strength in Weakness: 2 Corinthians 12:2-10

The summer of 2002 

was supposed to be a fantastic time for me…

I had just finished my first year of my Master’s in Music 

and I had great plans…

I was playing background music most days at a fancy restaurant 

in Old Montreal, 

It was my first regular paying musical job, 

and I was planning to spend a month at a prestigious 

chamber music festival in the US, 

followed by playing with an orchestra in Germany 

which included a trip to Greece.

I was so excited for that summer of ’02!

All seemed to go according to plan, 

but as I made the trip to the States, 

a big sense of dread began to cloud my horizon. 

I had played at festivals before, 

but I was somehow stressed out much more than I’d ever been,

and I was just feeling sick, anxious and exhausted 

and I doubted that I could get through what was expected of me musically 

and personally in the month ahead.

I spent the night in turmoil and then confided to the director

that I just couldn’t do it 

and I needed to withdraw from the programme.

Dejected, I returned home and took stock of my situation. 

My health had taken a turn for the worse and I saw some doctors,

ran some tests, 

and came to the conclusion that I was suffering from burnout.

I had burned the candle at both ends, 

not taken care of my body and had crashed headfirst 

into a metaphorical brick wall.

Luckily, I was living at home with my parents that summer 

and they took great care of me, but for weeks on end, 

I could barely drag myself out of bed. 

I thought I might recover enough to make it to Germany 

for the second festival, 

but I soon realized, I needed to take the whole summer off 

to get well.

I was so close to having the greatest summer ever, 

but unfortunately it turned into the worst. 

I was so weak, and so frustrated and there was nothing I could do, 

but just take it day, by day, week by week, and try to recover.

The summer of 2002 was perhaps the weakest point of my life, 

where I for the first time experienced a real “thorn in my flesh” 

as Paul called it. 

I prayed for relief and for an end to my suffering 

but God didn’t answer my prayers…or at least so, I thought at that time.

By the end of August though I had recovered enough 

and was able to go back to school, 

but all in all, I had learned some very valuable life lessons:

-I had learned more about my vulnerabilities

-I had learned that burnout is a real thing, 

and what my tell-tale signs are 

and how important it is to respect your body 

and take action sooner rather than later 

to get the medical care that you need.

-I also learned a great deal of empathy for the sufferings of others. 

Up until that time I had lived a pretty healthy life, 

but going through a medical crisis I gained a lot of respect 

for how others manage to cope with often invisible burdens that hey bear. You never know what people are going through 

from the outside.

And of course, in the grand scheme of things, 

my suffering was tiny and short compared to the ordeals and pain 

of others.

And while at the time I didn’t have 

the strong faith connection 

that I had in later years, 

Those months sowed the seeds of faith that would eventually lead me 

to be willing to accept a call towards ministry two years later.

In my weakness, God made me strong, 

in that I was able to grow emotionally 

and learn many things about my mind, body and soul

that I would have never stopped to think about and discover  

if everything had just gone on “same-old-same-old”.

Sometimes you just have to hit that brick wall 

to make those experiences and learn those things about yourself, others and God to grow into a more mature individual. 

It’s so easy to just coast along in your habits and pre-conceived ways of thinking and doing things.

I definitely needed that horrible summer 

to eventually find strength in God because I realized the way I was made, 

I needed God.

Somehow, it’s a paradox, a contradiction in terms, 

but in my weakest moment, I found the strength, 

because I realized that if I could fight back from that, 

I could do far greater things.

In my most exhausted summer 

God showed me the strength and resilience that has gotten me this far.

—

In our second reading today, 

The Apostle Paul shares some personal anecdotes with his friends in Corinth.

He shares his own experience of weakness and describes how“to keep me from being too elated,”  “a thorn was given me in the flesh, 

a messenger of Satan to torment me.”

Scholars disagree on what precisely could have been this “thorn in the flesh”

perhaps a physical ailment: an eye disease, malaria, epilepsy…

or perhaps a spiritual temptation, or a mental health issue…

Paul pleaded with God to remove it 3 times. 

And yet, God did not provide immediate relief.

The “thorn in the flesh” continued despite all prayers. 

But Paul got a message, he got some clarity about his situation:

God's response was that His grace is sufficient, 

and His power is made perfect in weakness.

Despite his suffering, Paul found strength in God's grace 

and his frailty became a means for God's power 

to be displayed in his life._

He discovered that in his weakness, he actually was strong.

——————

We all have struggles and limitations, 

but also for us, God’s power is made perfect in our weakness.

What is your “thorn in the flesh”?

What time of your life were you at rock bottom, 

or maybe you have an ailment that causes you 

Or caused you 

suffering or pain?

Perhaps a difficult illness, 

or a loss of a loved one, 

or maybe a relationship caused you a lot of distress.

Something you could describe as a “thorn in your flesh”?

I think we could all report at least one such “thorn.”

Perhaps we’ve even prayed without ceasing for God to remove the thorn, 

and yet it persisted.

In the moment, it may be hard to find any meaning or comfort 

in the suffering, 

there may not seem to be light at the end of the tunnel.

But Paul, through the telling of his personal story, 

Encourages us to trust in God's grace and God’s sufficiency in our own weaknesses and struggles.

God told Paul: 

“my grace is sufficient for you: for power is made perfect in weakness”!

Suffering exists in this life, it just does, 

but sometimes we can learn a lesson from it.

• When we acknowledge and embrace our weaknesses, 
• we open ourselves up to God's strength and power working through us.

As Leonard Cohen once sang: 

There is a crack in everything,

That’s how the light gets in

The brick walls we slam into

can be opportunities for growth.

When we are open to God’s grace, which is a gift,

Then our imperfections can be transformed into resilience.

Our weakness changed into strength.

We can realize that sometimes things are not what they seem.

When we imagine God’s kingdom, we realize some things are turned upside down:

The poor are lifted up,

And the rich go away hungry,

Those at the top are actually weak,

And the weak at the bottom are made strong through grace.

And grace, enables us, like Paul, 

• to shift our perspective on weaknesses and see them as an opportunity for God's power to be displayed.

As Paul wrote:

For whenever I am weak—then I am strong!

It seems so counterintuitive, 

but yet this is the heart of the Gospel.

Jesus Christ, in his death, seemed defeated, 

he seemed the weakest, 

and all he had worked for appeared to be for nothing.

But yet in his defeat was his victory, 

as he triumphed over death and the grave, 

and sin and the devil discovered that they had no power over him, 

and God’s love was stronger than anything else.

—

So this week, I challenge you to embrace your weaknesses 

and rely on God's strength.

Our “thorns in the flesh”  are not something to be ashamed of, 

but rather opportunities for God’s power to be made perfect in us. 

Through our weaknesses, we are reminded of our constant need 

for God’s grace and power to sustain us. 

May we find comfort and peace in knowing that His grace 

is sufficient for us, 

and His power is made perfect in our weakness.

Amen._