Our kids looked adorable together, and someone said something about taking a photo. It was after the comment about how they’ll look nice together at prom someday that his eyes filled with embarrassed tears. He buried his face in his mom’s hip and wiped them away on the hem of her shirt. The moment got me thinking about our hidden pain in life.
I understood the little guy’s struggle. I hid my tears throughout most of my childhood, too.
No one ever made fun of me for crying. I simply thought I needed to appear strong. All the time.
The Truth About Hidden Pain
We all have struggles and weaknesses.
Some of us do all we can to hide our weak areas. We cover our weaknesses with false strength or overcompensate by trying too hard.
We hide our pain as well.
Life gets hard, and we do what we think we need to do. We bury our hidden pain and pretend we are fine.
But what if we have it all wrong?
What if we are most usable to God in the areas in which we are weakest?
I’ve been considering these challenges lately. I’ve also been reading a powerful book.
Candid Conversations by Heather Hart (and many more talented contributing authors) explores the struggles many of us face as followers of Christ. Heather writes:
“…whether it is an instinct or a learned behavior, we women tend to fight our hardest to put our best foot forward. We want others to think we have it all together. At the end of the day, we want others to look at us and think, “Wow, that lady has a ton on her plate, but she gets it done, and she looks good doing it.”
The Truth About Your Hidden Pain and Unspoken Struggles
Pride makes us want to hide our struggles and bury our weaknesses; however, Scripture paints a portrait of a God who uses the weak:
The most powerful thing Jesus did was take on weakness.
In his book Making Sense of God, Tim Keller tracks the Biblical pattern of God choosing those who are powerless to fulfill his purposes. The ultimate example is Jesus, the only founder of a major religion who died in disgrace, abandoned and rejected by those who were closest to him.
Jesus’ example offers a new paradigm for how we ought to view weakness. One of the most powerful things Jesus did in his life on earth was to become weak. On the cross, at his weakest moment, Jesus accomplished the most powerful work in human history. In taking on weakness, he bore the punishment for the sins of the entire world, and he overcame Satan once and for all.
Inadequacy Is a Necessary Ingredient for a Miracle
We can look at the object lessons Jesus used throughout his ministry as well. Miracles require inadequacy. Five loaves of bread and two fish were not enough to feed 5,000 people. Jesus performed a miracle because of the inadequacy set before him (Matthew 14:13-21).
If you’re feeling inadequate to fulfill the assignment set before you – if stepping into the next big thing feels too far beyond your reach – consider the possibility that your inadequacy might be what aligns you to follow God up the next mountain.
God Uses the Weak to Shame the Strong
The apostle Paul wrote, “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27).
Worldly wisdom and human strength can lead to success, but God looks for those who are not wise in their own eyes or strong by their own power. He looks for those who will lean on him and follow him to establish his kingdom callings.
And so, the next time you begin to wonder if you have what it takes, the next time you feel less-than or lacking, remind yourself that not having what it takes might be the key ingredient for the next miracle in your life.
Your less-than and lacking areas might be the very places God is going to use to bring glory to his name.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Stacey Pardoe
Featured Image by Mario Schulz from Pixabay
