Have you ever woke up with one of those awful neck pains and can’t turn your head in one direction? Remember how difficult it was to manage the smallest of tasks and get through the day without being exhausted? Now, imagine that this pain has been there for months or even years and you keep going to your doctor without getting any relief. Finally, you return to the doctor for the third time, and he tells you, “You are a better person with that pain in your neck.”

I woke up with that type of neck pain this morning and it brought to mind the apostle Paul’s difficulty with the pain that he called the “thorn in his side.” Three times he asked God to remove this problem and finally the answer came back, “My Grace is sufficient for you. In your weakness, you are perfected.” Whoa.

It seems that God seems to think that we make better people when we aren’t all high-powered and puffed up. He seems to think that we are greater when we are relying on Him and so weakness to God isn’t such a bad thing. He can work with the weak, but the strong—well, that’s a whole different story.

When I was a young girl my mom used to post messages on bulletin boards and on the refrigerator. One of them was a quote that was apparently written by an unknown confederate soldier.

“I asked God for strength that I might achieve. I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey. I asked for health that I might do greater things. I was given infirmity that I might do better things. I asked for riches that I might be happy. I was given poverty that I might be wise. I asked for power that I might have the praise of men. I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God. I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. I was given life that I might enjoy all things. I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. I am, among all men, most richly blessed.”

Sometimes, we are driven to achieve certain things and we forget that achieving things of a spiritual nature are worth far more. In fact, we get caught up sometimes trying to achieve things through our churches or charitable organizations and forget that we are really working for God and that He is the guy in charge. Sometimes, it takes a pain in the neck to get us to focus on the real Man in Charge.

In that way, when it comes to sharing our faith, we are often more relevant when we aren’t strong. When we are weak and we face our vulnerability honestly, others often see that and are attracted to it. The truth is, God doesn’t really need us to get His work accomplished. He invites us to be part of His plan and we are blessed by that opportunity. It’s kind of like interviewing for a really cool job where the boss brings us into a new project and wants us to be part of it.

I wonder if strength has any inherent value to God at all. Almost across the board, God illustrates ways for us to win by being weak. He tells us to do good to those who despitefully use us, and to bless those who curse us. He tells us to come to Him as little children. He said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” I think I finally get it now. Maybe inheriting the earth means that I am going to be relevant to those around me when weakness finally becomes comfortable to me. Maybe it means that trying to pretend that I don’t hurt, suffer, or make mistakes doesn’t do anyone else any good. Maybe it means, too, that by allowing myself to be weak, I am really being strong.