“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Cor 12:9)
Here St. Paul honestly witnesses to God’s power in his life, despite his own weaknesses. The Apostle’s witness is very powerful precisely because he shares it genuinely, admitting to his weakness, his struggle.
Today I’m reminded of this honesty of the great Apostle Paul, as I am reading the autobiography of another inspiring figure, Bruce Springsteen. (Unfortunately, his movie, Western Stars, is not playing here in Austria, – but don’t miss it this weekend, if you’re in the U.S.!) I’m reminded, for the purposes of my own vocation, when I try to witness to Christ in the context of my own world, that my own “story” is fortifying to others only when I share of myself honestly; being myself. Because God’s grace shows forth in our weaknesses, when we witness to Him honestly, being ourselves and sharing ourselves with fellow-strugglers, in the gentle realism that is humility.
