We were created to contain, enjoy, and reveal the glory of God. Put in another way, we were created to contain and enjoy God’s presence and manifest His likeness. In the context of a shared wholehearted love with God, we were meant to be utterly dependent on Him revealing His glory. Adam and Eve, just like us, we’re called to live a life of intimacy with God and to live by faith; depending on Him step-by-step, allow Him to manifest His likeness through us.
In light of all this, weakness is our best friend because weakness reminds us to pursue intimacy and live in absolute dependency. Weakness reminds us that our entire identity, worth, and purpose flows from God alone.
It is important to remember that weakness didn’t just happen as a result of the Fall. Adam was made out of dust, and nothing can be weaker than a speck of dust. Our original makeup was dust plus deity; that is, God living in a person made from dust. Why did He make us from something as simple and weak as dust? It is because He wanted us to be and live utterly dependent on Him to be and do anything. We didn’t become weak at the Fall; we became empty of the life of God, and we were left with only our dustness. Because of the absence of the life of God within and the presence of the Law of sin in our humanity, Fallen mankind began to wildly manifest all forms of weaknesses. Those weaknesses scream to fallen humanity their need, but there is nowhere for them to turn to complete their dust unless they turn to Christ. When we turn to Christ, the empty void is filled, and once again, dust is inhabited by deity. For the Christian, weakness and extraordinary weaknesses are still there because the law of sin still lives in our unglorified bodies, but once again, those weaknesses can still be our friend. 2 Corinthians 12 says that “In our weaknesses, His strength is made perfect,” and “When I am weak, then I am strong.” Don’t curse your weaknesses or despise yourself because you have them. Instead, embrace your weaknesses as a reminder to live in intimacy with Christ, and to live in total dependence on Him to live through your weakness His extravagant strength. Weaknesses remind us to live by faith; to live from Christ and not for Christ. If you try to live for Christ out of great sincerity, you will burn yourself out because your weaknesses will prevail. When you live from Christ, you have embraced your weaknesses as the very platform from which Christ can demonstrate His all prevailing adequacy. When you are weak, you truly are strong in Christ.