My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9b

 

Can being too strong lead you to a lonely, isolated, exhausted life?

On International Women’s Day, instead of writing, “Here’s to strong women; may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them,” Amy Moller posted, “Here’s to soft women: may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.” A female friend responded, “This is EXACTLY what I needed to read right now. I’m so tired of trying to live up to the strongest women in the world, then feeling like I’m a failure.”[1]

Can a woman…or a man, be too independent, too capable and too resilient? God never asked us to be strong in ourselves. He has always said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9b).

A preacher once pointed out, “God does not need your strength He has more than enough power of His own. He asks your weakness: He has none of that Himself, and He is longing, therefore, to take your weakness, and use it as the instrument in His own mighty hand. Will you not yield your weakness to Him and receive His strength?[2]

In a chapter called the “Faith Hall of Fame,” the Bible speaks of people who were used powerfully by God, explaining that “Their weakness was turned to strength” believing that God would do what He said He would (see Hebrews 11).  No, God never asked you to be strong, in and of yourself.

Today, know that you can relax, you can soften, you can submit to and depend on the God who gives grace and works best in weakness.

[1] Molloy, Amy. “‘How Our Obsession with Strong Women Is Making Us Weaker.’” Grazia, 11 Apr. 2018, graziadaily.co.uk/life/opinion/feminism-strong-independence-soft-women-amy-molloy-book/.

[2] Spurgeon, Charles. “The Best Strengthening Medicine.” The Spurgeon Center, 21 June 2019, www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/the-best-strengthening-medicine/#flipbook/.