Grace is greater Ch.9.

Ch.9.  More Powerful Than Your Weakness
           Powerful > Your Weakness

 I recently learned about an artist named Phil Hansen. He’s a huge success. His breakthrough approach to creating art has made him incredibly popular and has inspired millions of people. I became familiar with Hansen’s art by watching his TED talk called “Embrace the Shake.” If you haven’t seen it, I encourage you to pull it up and take ten minutes to watch it.
  
 In art school Phil began to develop a tremor in his hand. For years he had worked toward becoming an expert in pointillism,a technique where the artist uses small, distinct dots to form an image. Years of tediously making tiny dots had led to permanent nerve damage, making it impossible for him to hold his hand steady. Suddenly Phil’s signature ability – making beautiful images out of small, perfect dots – became his signature disability. His strength had become his weakness. He quit art for a while, but his neurologist said something that stuck with him.

“Why don’t you just embrace the shake?”
 Finally Phil started experimenting with art again, and the most incredible thing happened. The shake that he thought had destroyed his artistic ability became what inspired his most powerful work. His weakness became his strength.

 Phil realized that what he thought were his limitations became a catalyst for greater creativity. He became convinced of this dynamic and wondered what kind of art he could produce if he intentionally put limitations on himself. What if he could use only a dollar’s worth of supplies? What if he had to paint but couldn’t use a brush? What if he made art not to display but to destroy? What if he had to rely on other people to come up with his content? He learned to “embrace the shake” and discovered that art created out of weakness ended up being his most inspiring pieces. He explains it this way: “We need to first be limited in order to become limitless.” 1
                               footnote
  1 Phil Hansen, “Embrace the Shake,” TED TAlk, 10:01, Feb.             2013,  http://www.ted.com/talks/phil_hansen_embrace_the_shake.

 
                         Refusing Weakness

 It’s not easy to “embrace the shake.” We have grown up learning we need to highlight our strengths and hide our weaknesses. We con’t embrace our limitations; we’re embarrassed by them, so much so we often refuse to admit them.

 We sometimes watch Shark Tank at our house, a show in which inventors and entrepreneurs seek financial partners by pitching their products or businesses to a group of five wealthy venture capitalists. More often than not, when I’m listening to one of the inventors tell about their new product, I wonder, Why didn’t I think of that? And I can’t be the only one who has watched the show and thought, Wait a second, I did think of that!
   
 If you watch the show you may remember an invention called “The Skinny Mirror.” This mirror uses curved glass to create an optical illusion so the user look about ten pounds thinner. It was originally designed for individuals, but its creators found that retailers were very interested in using the mirror to help sell clothing. If you are trying on clothes at the store and you use “The Skinny Mirror” to see how they fit, you’re much more likely to make a purchase. What I found especially interesting about “The Skinny Mirror” is that they don’t try to hide what it is. In fact, they put their name right on the mirror. So the next time you’re at a store trying on a pair of skinny jeans and love what you see in the mirror, whatever you do, don’t look at the bottom right-hand corner for “The Skinny Mirror” logo. You might be devastated.

 I was thinking someone could probably develop an entire product line around the idea that we con’t want to admit the truth about our weakness. Here are a few ideas I had:

  1. “The Skinny Scale,” a complementary product to “The Skinny Mirror.” When you weigh yourself on this scale,     

       it gives you a number ten pounds lighter than reality. That way what you see on the scale matches up with what

       you see in the mirror!
  2. “The Skinny Bowl.” Want to eat an entire pint of Ben & Jerry’s but don’t want to feel guilty about it? Just put it

       in “The Skinny Bowl.” Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you’ll get any less. “The Skinny Bowl” would be a huge bowl

       designed as an optical illusion to make you feel like you’re eating less than you really are.
  3. “Skinny Glasses.” You realize your mirror makes you look great, and your scale is backing it up, but what will

       your blind date actually see? Just ask them to put on a pair of “Skinny Glasses,” and they’ll see exactly what you

       want them to see!

Denying weakness can be a lucrative business!
      
                           Beautiful Circle

 We would much prefer a magtic mirror that lies to us rather than one that tells us the truth about ourselves. But we all experience moments when we are confronted with the truth of our limitations.

 I came home from work one day with no clue that anything was wrong. My wife greeted me at the door and told me that Morgan, our two-year-old daughter, was still napping but had been sleeping long enough, and asked me to go wake her up. That’s a job I loved. When I opened the door to her room I noticed that a large pine chest of drawers had fallen over onto the floor. Initially, the possibility that Morgan was under the chest of drawers didn’t occur to me. I looked around the room for her and called her name – before I realized she had to be under there.

 I frantically lifted the piece of furniture. Morgan looked lifeless . . . not moving or making any kind of noise. I yelled for my wife. Morgan was breathing but she was unconscious. She was black-and-blue and so swollen that she didn’t look like herself. I grabbed the phone and dialed 911 – it rang and rang – but no one answered. I hung up. My wife had Morgan in her arms as we ran out to the car to rush to the hospital.
 
 I was driving and my wife was in the backseat holding our daughter. I called 911 again, but still got no answer. It rang and rang. I was scared and was getting angry. The first time in my life I ever call 911 and no one picks up! I felt so powerless. Desperate. There was nothing I could do to help.

 I was getting ready to dial 911 again, and if someone didn’t answer this time, 911 was going to have to dial 911 by the time I got finished with them. But then Icould hear my wife praying over Morgan, crying out to God from the backseat. I hung up and started praying out loud with her. Our prayers were not orderly, and they were not well worded. I didn’t say to my wife, “You pray, then I will pray.” They sounded more like cries than a conversation.

 Eventually we got to the hospital and ran in. Morgan still wasn’t moving or making any noise. The next few minutes are a bit if a blur for me. Doctors and nurses surrounded her as they decided what tests they needed to run to find out what was wrong. They looked for internal bleeding, skull fractures, broken bones. They were able to help Morgan regain consciousness and wake up – but she still wasn’t responding to us. They took her in to do X-rays and an MRI. They would only let one parent go back in the room with her. My wife went straight in, and I was left out in the hallway by myself.

 I slumped down, sat against the wall, and continued to pray and cry out to God. If people were around, I don’t remember, and it wouldn’t have mattered. I didn’t care what anyone thought. I wasn’t worried about what I looked like or how I sounded. Desperate people don’t care about such things.

 We spent the evening at the hospital. The doctors told us there didn’t seem to be any internal damage, but for some reason Morgan wasn’t able to move her left leg. The doctor explained there was a lot medical community didn’t yet know about nerve damage . . . he didn’t think it was permanent but had no way  of knowing when she would be able to move her leg.

 Weeks later she still couldn’t move her leg, and we were warned the muscles in her legs might begin to atrophy. But what could I do? I couldn’t do anything. Every morning my wife and I would go into her room and wake her up and pray for her. And every morning we’d say the same thing: “Morgan, move your toes.” “Wiggle your toes, Morgan.” And every day she would look at her toes with a very determined stare. After a few moments she would look up at us with a smile and say, “They don’t work.”

 But then one day . . . they did. They only moved a little, but they moved. Eventually all of the nerve damage was healed. Morgan made a full recovery and was back to running around.

 Looking back, sitting on the cold floor of that hospital hallway, I remember the feeling of utter helplessness. There was nothing I could do. Here’s the thing, though: God had never felt closer or more real to me than he did in that moment. I have prayed in beautiful sanctuaries and I’ve worshiped in packed arenas, but God showed up most powerfully to me in a cold, lonely, quiet hospital hallway. My complete powerlessness was a necessary precondition to experiencing God’s total power and presence. 

Perhaps you’ve been in a place where you could not deny you didn’t have what it takes.
  
If not, it’s coming.
 If you have, it was probably a painful experience for you. But the truth about that moment is, while it may have been full of pain, it also had the most potential to be full of God’s power. Why? Because we’re able to receive God’s grace only to the extent we’re able to recognize our need for it.

 We live in a culture that celebrates strength and condemns weakness, but grace enables us to celebrate our weakness. When we celebrate our weakness, it opens the floodgate for grace to pour into our lives. When grace pours into our lives, it allows us to celebrate our weakness all the more.

It’s a circle, a beautiful circle.

 If God’s power works best in weakness, then recognizing I don’t have what it takes will enable you to receive God’s grace, which enables you to celebrate your weakness, which makes room for more grace to pour into your life. You get caught up in a beautiful circle of grace.

                         Power in Weakness

 The more we are able to acknowledge our weakness, the greater our opportunity to experience God’s power in our lives. This doesn’t come naturally to me. More often than not I’m the last person who is able to identify my weakness.
      
 I went to Walmart recently to buy ink for my home printer. While I was there I saw a rack of shorts on sale for only $10. I thought, It’s almost summer. I could use shorts. And only ten bucks! so I grabbed a pair of 34s. I didn’t try them on because . . . I’m a guy. That’s not what we do. The next day I went to put one the shorts, but they were too tight. I mean, I was able to get them buttoned. But the button was scared; it was hanging on for dear life!

 Guess what I never thought? I never thought, I might have put on a few pounds. Why not? Because that would be admitting weakness, and if I’m being honest I prefer not to do that. So the first thought that came to my mind was, You get what you pay for. The second: Walmart must have marked them down to ten dollars because they didn’t measure the size correctly. These shorts must actually be a 30-inch waist.

 I can laugh about this when it’s about a pair if tight-fitting shorts that cost me ten bucks, but my refusal to be honest with myself about my struggles and weakness has been much more costly to me as a husband, father, friend, and pastor.

 When I can identify the areas where I don’t have what it takes and be intentional about asking God for help, his grace and power abound.

                          The Thorny Ache

 Paul learned to not only acknowledge his weakness but celebrate it. In the Bible  we have two letters Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. Corinth was a city that celebrated strength. It was known for luxurious lifestyles, impressive architecture, and elite socialites. A destination city, Corinth was the place to go for pleasure and exotic living. And the Corinth style of architecture was characterized by massive columns with amazing detail that were constructed to portray power.
 
 After Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians, some false teachers came into the city and began winning people over with their boasting. They held up their religious resumes and bragged about their amazing spiritual experiences.
   
 Paul wants the Corinthians to see how wrong these false teachers are. He wants the Corinthians to learn to celebrate their weaknesses. But Paul knows the only way they’ll listen to him talk about weakness is if they know his strength, so he has to start there. He feels a little foolish talking about his qualifications and credentials, but he knows that it’s the only way they’ll listen to him when he talks about the value of being weak. And so he begins:

    Whatever anyone else dares to goast about – I am speaking as a fool – I also dare to boast about. Are they Hebrews?  So I am. Are they Israelites? So I am. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So an I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) (2 Cor. 11:21-23)

 Then he goes on to explain how his strengths and expereiences could have led them to put confidence in himself, to think I have what it takes. But watch how he continues.

 So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep

me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take is away. (12:7-8 NLT)

 What was Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”? Bible scholars have suggested many possibilities, but no one is sure. We’ll take a look at some possibilities, but I wonder if Paul leaves it vague in order to make it easier for us to fill in the blank with our own thorn.

 What’s yours? What have you begged God to change, to heal, to take away? What in your life forces you to acknowledge weakness?

                  My weakness is: ______________

 What would you write in that blank? Again, the idea of this book is not that you learn grace is greater than your weakness but that you experience God’s grace by receiving his power in your weakness. Keep your weakness in mind as we consider what it might have been for Paul.

                            Paul’s Thorn

 I’ve thought about what Paul might have written in that blank. He could have written the word infirmities. The Bible hints Paul may not have been the best-looking guy. Other verses indicate he may have had terrible vision or even epilepsy. If it was a physical infirmity Paul is referring to, he discovered God’s grace was greater.
  
 Joni Eareckson Tada learned a similar lesson. As a teenager she became a quadriplegic through a diving accident. She has since become a popular Christian writer, and in one article she tells this story:

 Honesty is always the best policy, but especially when you’re surrounded by a crowd of women in a restroom during a    break at a Christian women’s conference. One woman, putting on lipstick, said, “Oh, Joni, you always look so        together, so happy in your wheelchair. I wish that I had your joy!” Several women around her nodded. “How do you do it?” she asked as she capped her lipstick.
      
   “I don’t do it,” I said. “In fact, may I tell you honestly how I woke up this morning? 

 

 “This is an average day.” I breathed deeply. “After my husband, Ken, leaves for work at 6:00 a.m., I’m alone until I    hear the front door open at 7:00 a.m. That’s when a friend arrives to get me up.

 “While I listen to her make coffee, I pray, ‘Oh, Lord, my friend will soon give me a bath, get me dressed, sit me up in my chair, brush my hair and teeth, and send me out the door. I don’t have the strength to face this routine one more time. I have no resources. I don’t have a smile to take into the day. But you do. May I have yours?

God, I need you desperately.’”

 “So, what happens when your friend comes through the bedroom door?” one of them asked.

 “I turn my head toward her and give her a smile sent straight from heaven, It’s not mine. It’s God’s. And so,” I said, gesturing to my paralyzed legs, “whatever joy you see today was hard won this morning.”

  I have learned that the weaker we are, the more we need to lean on God; and the more we lean on God, the stronger we discover him to be. 2
                              footnote
   2  Joni Eareckson Tada, “Joy Hard Won,” Decision, Mar. 2000,12

 I wonder if you have some infirmities you’ve begged God to take away, but he hasn’t. And I wonder if they’ve forced you to lean on God.

 Another word Paul could have written in that blank is inabilities. We don’t know if this was his “thorn,” but several times Paul mentions he was not an eloquent or persuasive speaker. In this case God’s grace came crashing into Paul’s life in such a powerful way that for years he was the primary spokesperson for Christianity. He wrote about half of the New Testament. When we are weak, God is strong.

 I think of my somewhat introverted nature. Being around too many people for too long can be draining for me. I wish it wasn’t. It’s something I struggle with. To be honest, I struggle with the fact that it’s a struggle for me. I believe God has called me to be a pastor, and the thing about being a pastor is it often means being around a lot of people. I work with some pastors who are fantastic in those settings and are energized by other people. I’ve envied them and asked God to help me become more extroverted. He hasn’t. I’ve learned the only way I can “have what it takes” to be a pastor is to lean into God and be intentional about finding my strength in him. I’ve also come to realize God’s power in my weakness by using it in some unexpected and surprising ways.
   
 What inability torments you? Perhaps it’s something about you that you wish was different, but maybe that’s the very area where God’s power will use you most significantly.

 One other word Paul could write in that blank is inadequacy. Paul at times expresses feelings of inadequacy. He found himself in situations where he couldn’t help but come to the conclusion, “I don’t have what it takes.” He talks about the challenges he has gone through in his ministry and his feelings of inadequacy in the calling God gave him.

 In 2 Corinthians 1:8 Paul explains, “We were under the great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure.” Paul realizes the weight on the bar is more than he can lift. He is humble enough to be honest with himself and admit his abilities are not equal to his assignment. So why would God allow this kind of mismatch to happen?
   
 In verse 9 Paul gives us the answer to this question: “This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” God’s power is attracted to weakness. His grace comes running to those in need.

Whatever you filled in the blank with, whatever your thorn is, his grace is greater than that.

                        Celebrating Weakness

 We aren’t exactly sure what word Paul would use to fill in the blank for his weakness. But he makes it clear God’s grace is always enough.

 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses,and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that  I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
                                       (12:9-10 NLT)

 A lot of people have memorized that verse as “My grace is sufficient.” Another translation says, “My grace is always enough.” We’re then told that his strength is perfected in weakness. That is, it fills in our blanks. The wider the blank, the more of his grace and strength can be displayed.

 Grace enabled Paul to celebrate his weakness. Celebrating his weakness opened the floodgate for more grace to pour into his life, which further allowed him to celebrate his weakness.

 Paul’s thorn helped him realize he was able to receive God’s grace only to the extent he was able to recognize his need for it. Paul’s experience of that truth led him to “take pleasure in his weakness.” He became more excited about his weakness than his power, because in his weakness there was room for God to show up and show off what he could do. Acknowledging weakness invites God’s presence and power into our lives.
   
                          Source of Strength

 The latest way I have recognized how our culture celebrates strength is in a growing trend of giving job titles that overstate the importance of a position. In the big scheme of things, someone using an exaggerated job title isn’t a huge deal, but there are times when it crosses the line. Here are some examples I’ve collected:

    An ad for a “Retail Salesperson” offered the position as a  “Retail Jedi.”
    A “Marketing Manager” handed me a business card with the title “Marketing Rock Star.”
    Instead of the title of “Social Media Manager,” a friend of mine was hired to be a “Social Media Guru.”
    Go online and you will find there are a number of “Financial Managers” who have opted to go with the

       title “Accounting Ninja.”
    
 I understand the appeal of using job titles, like these, but it doesn’t quite seem fair to all the hardworking Jedi, rock stars, gurus, and ninjas out there. I get it, though. Part of me would love to be a “Preaching Jedi” or “Leadership Wizard” or “Servant Rock Star.”

We love strength. I’m not sure that’s likely to change, so the questions I’d pose are:

    Where do you find strength?
    How much strength do you want?

 Maybe you can find it in your own store of willpower, but you probably have lived long enough to realize there’s not much strength available to you there. God wants you to find strength in him – unlimited strength.
   
 We see this all through the Bible. Moses, Gideon, Elijah, the apostles, Paul – all were intimidated by their calling. But God gave each of them the same reassurance. “I will be with you,” God says. “It’s fine that you don’t have what it takes, because I do have what it takes, and I will be with you.” By the grace of God, his strength works best in our weakness.

                             Let It Flow

 Close your eyes and imagine something. OK, that’s not going to work, because you can’t read with your eyes shut, but try to imagine this.

 In your hand is a simple cup. It’s empty, and the emptiness represents your weakness. But someone directs you to a nearby hose. It’s coming out of a very high and very long wall. You can’t see the other side, but the faucet works. You turn it on and water begins to seep from the hose. It’s not spraying – just kind of trickling. You’re hoping there’s enough to at least fill your cup. The water moves right up to the rim, then stops. That worked out well.
  
 You get the symbolism? Right – the water represents God’s grace, exactly what we need. (I always worry people won’t get my metaphors.)

 Time passes, and here you come, back to the hose. No sign of  the cup, but you’ve got an empty bucket this time. Let’s make the bucket a symbol of having a bit of a health scare, or maybe some financial issues. You really need some strength; this is a nice-sized bucket.
 
 You turn on the hose and the water comes again, gradually filling in the bottom of the bucket, then up the sides, and once again to the rim before it stops. How does it know?

 Time passes. This time you have a large, red wheelbarrow full of emptiness, and you’ve brought it to the old hose. Maybe you’ve lost your job, and with it your confidence. Or maybe your marriage is in a bad place, worse than you realized. Maybe it’s a special-needs child and you’re overwhelmed.
   
 You turn on the hose and the plumbing still works. The water comes out with that familiar swish, and the wheelbarrow begins to fill. And you know where it stops. You sigh with relief. Once again, there’s just enough.
  
 Next time you pull up in a semitruck, hauling a tank behind you the size of a trailer. This is a big. Radiation treatments. A child in prison. An affair. You turn on the hose. Water begins to flow into the tank. You’re sure there won’t be enough, but it keeps coming. For hours it flows – and then right when the tank won’t take another drop, the hose runs dry.
 
 This is how the grace of God works. There is always enough. However much emptiness you bring to him, that is how much grace he has to give you. The emptier we are, the more of his grace we can receive. The weaker we are, the more of his strength we can discover. That’s why Paul says he can take pleasure in his weakness.

                           Time to Give Up

 A number of years ago I was with my family on a road trip. We had spent hours traveling and pulled into a hotel parking lot around 2:00 a.m. I woke up my wife and kids, and in a zombie state we made our way into the hotel. My son was four years old and had insisted on carrying his own bag throughout the trip. He was at that age where he wanted to impress us with his strength. He would randomly flex his muscles to show them off or pick up something heavy just so he could show us he could do it. So even though he was half asleep, he picked up his bag from the trunk, slung the strap over his shoulder, and began stagger his way slowly across the parking lot.
  
 I was carrying a few bags and following behind when he suddenly stopped in the middle of the parking lot and let his bag fall off his shoulder and onto the pavement. I walked beside him and stopped. His eyes were barely open. I said, “Hey buddy, do you want me to carry your bag for you?” Too tired to verbally respond, he nodded his head yes. I picked up his bag and threw it over my shoulder and started toward the hotel door. After a few strides I looked back at my son and realized he wasn’t moving. I turned around and walked back to him. His shoulders were slumped and his head was down. He was exhausted. I asked him if he was OK, and without even looking up at me he asked, “Will you carry me too, Dad?” I scooped him up in my arms and headed into the hotel.

 I know he wanted to show us how strong he was, but he reached a point where he was too tired and felt too weak to keep going. As a father, I wasn’t disappointed or angry with him. In fact, it brought me joy to be able to help him in the moment. He didn’t feel like he could go any farther. He didn’t have to drop the bag and ask for help. He could have insisted on carrying it himself. But the longer he refused to admit his weakness, the longer he missed out on the strength available to help him. The moment he dropped what he was carrying he discovered a grace that didn’t just carry his bag but carried him as well.

You’re never in a better position to experience God’s grace than the moment you realize you don’t have what it takes.