“But he said to me (Paul), ‘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. 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” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). NIV

The Passion Translation says verse 10 this way, “So I will celebrate my weaknesses, for when I’m weak I sense more deeply the mighty power of Christ living in me.”

What a radical idea to celebrate our weaknesses. It sounds completely absurd, but whether our weakness is physical, emotional, relational, intellectual, or something else, we can access God’s grace and strength as we do. 

Here are six reasons to celebrate your weakness: 

1. It is an expression of faith – As we celebrate our weaknesses, we affirm that God’s perfect strength is going to show up in our lives. Faith believes before it sees, and it is better to celebrate before we see than after we see. 
2. It releases the joy of the Lord (which is our strength) – Intentional celebration stirs up our joy. As we get excited about an area we are battling weakness in, we are going to see God’s strength manifest in it. 
3. It is a practical way to delight ourselves in the Lord – “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). We cannot truly delight in the Lord unless we celebrate our weaknesses. If we wait to delight after we overcome all our weaknesses, we will never delight in the Lord. 
4. It is a way to magnify the Lord  – We are to magnify the Lord, not the problem (Psalm 34:3). Celebrators are continually magnifying God’s love, solutions, the power of past and current prayers, and what Jesus has won on the cross for us. 
5. It disempowers shame, guilt, and condemnation – When our weaknesses manifest, we will be tempted to disqualify ourselves from being happy, blessed, and significant. This temptation is usually a bigger problem than anything happening through our weaknesses. However, when we choose to celebrate the weakness, then these tools of our enemy will be defeated.
6. It causes us to focus on the supernatural (which is the solution) – Our lack of hope is usually triggered by not factoring in and believing in the supernatural. We get discouraged because we are focused on ourselves instead of the Lord. Every time we celebrate our weaknesses, we reaffirm the power of the Holy Spirit operating in the unseen realms of our life. 

Let’s join the Apostle Paul in celebrating our weaknesses. Even if we are really struggling and need counseling, intervention, medical help, or accountability concerning our struggle, it is still a secret weapon to keep the grace and strength of God flowing in our direction.