Strength in Weakness

     During the Golden State Warriors' NBA championship run in 2015, there was a slogan that became a rallying cry for the team and fans alike: strength in numbers. Thousands of fans would wear "Strength in Numbers" t-shirts for home playoff games. It is said that Steve Kerr, Golden State's coach, came up with the slogan. Golden State did find strength in numbers - a deep roster with Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, a raucous home crowd, and of course MVP Stephen Curry that won the NBA Finals in 2015 (and has since added Kevin Durant and won 2 more titles). Then again, when Golden State used that same rallying cry in 2016, it turned out that "Strength in LeBron James" was slightly stronger.

     There's a lot of truth to the idea of "strength in numbers" - they say that many hands make light work. Tasks that may seem daunting alone aren't so bad when others are there to help . There's even Gestalt psychology, which suggests that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Or another way of putting it, 2+2 = 5, not 4. Together, we can accomplish something greater than we could on our own. As people, we were ultimately designed to live in community, not our own "Private Idaho". To an extent, we all can make it on our own. That said, it's a lot easier when we have the help from others along the way. It's easy to see that we can find strength in numbers, but what if there's another outlet where we can find strength? And what if that outlet was our weaknesses? 

     To say that there's strength in our weaknesses seems paradoxical. At the very least, it's an oxymoron. The exact opposite of strength is weakness. How can there be strength in weakness? Before I elaborate, a concession or two is in order. Some people are inherently stronger than one another - be it physically, mentally, or spiritually. This also isn't meant as much in a physical sense - a person won't suddenly find physical strength by admitting that they are physically weak. Okay, now to elaborate on finding strength in weakness! 

     Weaknesses. Everyone has them...but everyone is either reluctant to admit them or pretends that they don't have them. But why are we afraid to talk about them? Saying "I have weaknesses" means admitting that one is not perfect and has flaws. It means others make think less of one. It means being vulnerable and potentially opening oneself up to criticism or jokes. It means that one has shortcomings or insecurities, areas where one...just feels like they don't measure up and aren't good enough. For guys, this can be especially tough because there's societal expectations that guys are supposed to be strong, macho, and tough. For a guy to admit that he's not those makes him sound like a wimpy person. But other than that, there's nothing to be afraid of about admitting weaknesses. 

     As noted above, it's hard to admit one's weaknesses. It's easy to talk about our strengths and where we succeed, it's a lot harder to talk about our weaknesses and where we don't. However, just acknowledging one's weaknesses is a huge step. Taking that first step and putting oneself out there is a concession that one does not have it all together, that one is not perfect. It's a huge step because it's admitting a simple truth: that we aren't perfect, that we don't have it all together. Too often, people try to present themselves as polished or perfect, as though they have it all together. This can especially be true in the social media age (and something that is at times a critique of churches). The problem is that it's fake. It's all a facade. We may be able to convince others we're perfect, but in our hearts we know we aren't. 

     Simply speaking, who would you rather be friends with: a person that tells you how perfect they are and is concerned with keeping up that image or a person that tells you that they aren't perfect and that they have struggles? All I know is I'd rather be honest and cry to someone than lie and tell someone everything's perfect. When we openly talk about our weaknesses, it's genuine, it's sincere. Not admitting that one has weaknesses is a weakness in itself. And a sign that one is really prideful.

    I'll make no bones about it: I have my weaknesses. Some of them are silly and lighthearted, like flannel shirts, college football, breakfast foods, or just free food in general. Others are thankfully in the past, like the SAT, Spanish class, or the multiple choice portion of AP English exams. And there are those that are still prevalent today, like overthinking, being a perfectionist/putting pressure on myself, or feeling like I don't measure up in one way or another.  

     The reason why we can find strength in our weaknesses is because they make us who we are. Now, this isn't to say that our weaknesses define us -far from it. It's to say that when we are aware of them and admit them to others that we're stronger because of it.  The people that truly matter in our lives won't think less of us for having them - and they'll appreciate that we shared them. And the thing is: we don't have to be perfect or attempt to project a perfect image. Jesus already was. 

     This past Sunday at church, the pastor talked about Paul's "thorns" and the "thorns" that we have in our sides. God has a way of using our weaknesses to glorify Him. We have all sinned and fallen short of His glory (Romans 3:23). Yet, we don't have to worry about our weaknesses or be perfect because Jesus already was - and is for us. In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Paul writes about when he asked God about his "thorns". In this verse, Paul writes "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 in me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (NIV). Paul found strength in his weaknesses - and so can we. When our identity is placed in Christ, not our strengths or weaknesses, we are strong.

     One of the great things about living in community is that our weaknesses may be others' strengths and vice versa. That provides us with opportunities to grow and be challenged, as well as people that we can go to when we're down on our weaknesses. We don't have to be Mr. or Ms. Perfect -and we never had to be. For better or worse, our weaknesses make us who we are. They also make us human. And through Christ, they make us stronger.