Is it Bad to Say I'm Strong?

Here I go again, perhaps thinking deeper than necessary on a subject. Life is probably easier if you never give things too much thought. Still, I've been wondering lately if it is a sin to desire to be viewed as a strong person. Not muscles strong. Just strong as the inner person. Someone out there can probably answer this question with ease in a few minutes, but let's jump into my knotted questions, shall we?

I remember going through years of health challenges, which left me feeling very skinny, and very weak. Strong was the last thing I would describe myself in that time. It didn't help that some people were negatively vocal about my weakness. I shared a video about my experience and I remember being surprised to read a comment on my social media encouraging me that I was strong. I kind of didn't believe him, because I didn't feel strong. But I remembered his encouragement and did my best to think that about myself.

I remember writing a song about this difficult time that said, "When I am weak then I am strong", quoting Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:10. During my years of severe weakness and trauma, God used it to teach me about His grace and strength. I trusted that if God wasn't immediately taking away my problems, He was going to help me live through them. My faith grew more intimate during those times.

That has been my experience with my perception of strength. In my eyes, the Bible teaches us that we are weak, but God is strong in us. The Psalms are full of verses expressing God's strength in mankind's life. But God also commands Joshua, for example, to be strong and courageous. It seems that we are cowardly on our own, but the Spirit of God empowers us to do what God calls us to do. Just like David stood out from everyone else who was too afraid to fight Goliath. David's bravery was rooted in the truth of God.

So, is it prideful to want to be perceived as a strong person? Maybe it can be. If we boast about how resilient we are at dealing with health challenges, or life struggles, and fail to acknowledge God as our rock, I think that's where we can be sinful. Sometimes I'd like to think that people who deal with mental health struggles are the strongest people, because they carry so much while just trying to function on a daily basis. Or is it the people who struggle with terminal diseases or serious ones, but still manage to show up for their families and have a smile and hope for a brighter future?

I think we all want to be perceived as being strong. Who wants to be seen as a weak person? As the outcast who can't seem to be as strong as the rest of us? Who isn't good enough. Doesn't measure up.

That's hard. Painful. Everyone except Paul probably would not want to boast about being weak. Nevertheless, he 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 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) We're going to be weak in this life, but the good news is that Christ's power can rest on us. I'd like to boast about His power any day over my own strength. I think I need to forgive those that instead of encouraging me during my weak moments, made me feel belittled. If this is something you've struggled with too, I hope this has helped. I guess it can be beneficial to take some time to think deeply about certain things.