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Made Strong in Weakness
Read: 2 Corinthians 12:8-10
 I am not a handyman. I am not a skilled day laborer. As a matter of fact, many of the high school youth are better at the jobs we were doing in Gulfport than I am. When I paint, I end up getting as much paint on me as I do on the wall—literally.
So, during the Mission Trip, I put myself in the place of the utility man. Monday I was the gopher for two groups sharing a van as they each started their projects. I spent more time in the halls of Lowe’s and Home Depot that day than I have the rest of my life combined. Tuesday I helped with hanging a sheet rock ceiling on one site. Later in the week, I helped paint bedrooms at another site. I had the opportunity to sing Johnny Cash songs with Helen and to stand spread eagled in the back yard and have Harry hose all of the paint off of me that I had collected during the day. Most of the time I felt like more of a failure than a success on the work projects, and wondered if I was more of a burden than a help.
As we ended our project, one of our leaders was guiding our team through a prayerful reflection on our day. When the youth were asked to share where God showed up for them during the day, one of the youth shared that they saw God at work through me, the work I was doing, and more importantly through the way that I did it. I was shocked! Somehow almost because of my vulnerability and weakness, Christ was shining all the stronger.
One evening we visited a church in Biloxi named Prince of Peace Baptist Church. When we pulled up, the church campus looked like part RV park, part campground, with a small church building added on. The pastor went on to describe how God had used their church to be a center of mission to care for hundreds of children, feed thousands of people, house medical missions, and provide homes for dozen of people at a time that did not have a place to sleep. He shared with enthusiasm miraculous stories about how God has provided ministries for him and his church. Then he said something that amazed me. As we closed in prayer, he asked us to pray for his church. He shared, “We only have eight members right now, and we are getting tired.” It seems that God has used this church’s vulnerability, weakness, and smallness to do surprising ministry beyond what anyone could imagine.
All of this got me to thinking: maybe what God needs more than fantastic skills and abilities is a servant heart and willing hands. And maybe instead of worrying about how worthy and competent we are to do the ministry set before us, we should simply make ourselves available to be used and let God handle the results.
Prayer: God of power, make yourself known even in my weakness. Amen.
Clint Walker
Associate Pastor
First Baptist Church
Colorado Springs, CO
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