2 corinthians 12:8-10

*Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 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.*

I went on a home visit today as part of my introduction to the Spiritual Development Department at MOHI. We visited a woman named Lydia, and she had a Swahili Bible opened on her coffee table. We asked if she would read us a few verses, and so she read us 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 in Swahili.

When I got home tonight I read it in English, and it killed me. I've been confronted a lot in the last few days with what I perceive to be my weaknesses, my inadequacies and insecurities. I have been overwhelmed by how incredible the work being done at MOHI is, but I've been having a hard time understanding how I will/do fit into the picture. I feel very, very weak right now. I'm not sure what I have to offer, or if what I have to offer is what's most needed here. Everyone I've met is so inspiring, but within my own spirit I feel very unimaginative.

Reading these verses tonight encouraged me, and helped me see that my focus has been off. What, after all, have I come here to do, or to be? I have come because I want to be a witness to Christ's work in my life and in the world, and likewise to experience Christ in the people I meet, and to learn from them how to be a better witness. And I've been promised that He is made evident in my weakness.