Understanding Weakness and Strength

For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:10

The New Testament provides many descriptions of the Christian life. Some are easier to embrace than others. I am “salt”. I am “light”. I am a “fisherman”. Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth is filled with a different kind of imagery. I am a “vessel of clay”.

Sounds a bit fragile doesn’t it? But, I must confess, it also brings to mind a certain beauty. The beauty of a clay vessel is a reflection of the skilled hands of the artist, the Creator. Every metaphor has some limitations. There are obvious differences between a person and an actual clay vessel. One is living and the other is not. I have ability to think. Sadly, I have the capacity to imagine that my beauty is my own and not the result of my Creator. I can be tempted to take credit for the glory that belongs to God and God alone. Paul warned the Corinthians that the excellence of the pottery is the gift of the Creator. For Paul, our weakness exposes God’s strength.

In his commentary on 2 Corinthians, French Arrington describes Paul’s testimony about how weakness reveals Christ, “At any time vessels of clay can be broken…His purpose for experiencing the dying Jesus in his body was to reveal the life of Jesus to others.” Take advantage of every opportunity this week to reaffirm your purpose in life. The purpose in life is to reveal Christ. Sometimes it is in the midst of our greatest struggles in life that the grace and glory of Christ shines brightest.