I was a timid kid, insecure and often picked on. I also faced many family issues I simply could not fix, no matter how hard I tried.
Weakness, I thought, was definitely bad. Very bad. This notion persisted well into adulthood and even after meeting Jesus. I was conditioned to develop and muster strength to tackle any obstacle, task, or problem with all my might. If it didn’t work? Well, that just meant I needed to redouble my efforts and try harder.
Mostly, this approach not only didn’t work, but it also exhausted me. Often, this fatigue would lead to my getting sick. True to form, I’d power through, artificially energized by DayQuil and too much coffee. I’d get so sick that, eventually, I could do nothing but lie in bed.
The task or problem would just have to wait. I’d fret about it, but there was nothing I could do. I discovered that often, despite my inactivity, the urgency would subside, the problem would solve itself, or some solution would present itself out of nowhere.
I finally realized, reluctantly at first, how the words in 2 Corinthians 12:9 were positively and very practically true. Jesus’s power flows freely when I’m not exerting my own. By tapping into His unlimited, sufficient grace, His power is made perfect in my weakness. I don’t need to try harder. I can finally rest.
—Isabella Campolattaro
