Time to Boast a Little

I thought I’d take a minute and do something a bit different; I thought I would take a minute and boast about myself! So if you’ll excuse the typical post, I need to brag about a few things in my life … so I hope you don’t roll your eyes too much with me puffing myself up and all but here it goes … *clearing throat* …

• There are times that I go to bed broken for having let my words of anger and frustration boil over to my amazing children. (It’s a weakness I have controlling my temper sometimes)

• Sometimes, I talk to my dad like he’s an absolute idiot, and then realize most of the time he was right, but I rarely apologize. (It’s a weakness I have of thinking that I’m better then everyone else)

• I suffer from anxiety, in fact, sometimes my heart palpitations drive me so nuts I think I may just be going crazy. (It’s a weakness I have of trusting myself more then Him)

• I let my friends fade away sometimes because keeping up with the social stuff is a lot of work (It’s a weakness I have about social situation, another anxiety issue)

• I sometimes just imagine ways of getting even with someone that hurt me (It’s a weakness I have with being so defensive sometimes I want to take revenge)

• I like walking away and not looking back – you know those situations where you really messed up? (It’s a weakness I have with internalizing some issues rather than dealing with them)

• Sometimes when I’m striking back I manage to find a really good button on my wife … you know, the kind that really hurt? (It’s a weakness I have of trying to always win an argument, get my point across, or simply hurt when someone is calling me out on something)

That’s not boasting? Oh, yeah, I suppose this world may not consider that boasting. We usually hear others:

• Toughen up! [pride]

• Keep your issues private! [lack of community]

• Do what makes you happy! [gain the world, lose your soul]

• You earned your way to the top, forget about everyone else [lack of love]

• It’s all about image! [pride again? That’s a nasty one …]

However my instruction manual tells me otherwise:

2 Cor 12:9 - 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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

You see, the thing is that:

I’m not a perfect husband …

I’m not a perfect dad …

I’m not a perfect son …

Heck, I don’t even feel I’m really good at any of them; but I’m thankful to God I’m not … because it’s the power of Christ that is filling those gaps and reshaping me. I don’t accept where I stand, I need transformation from the only One who can give it to me, but I need to open myself up first. I am going to open these weaknesses and wounds with gladness, so that He can do a good work in me.

Without opening up (boasting of) our weaknesses, we present Him with a sign that reads “No Vacancy”. That’s one sign I don’t want to be handed at the end myself …

“Under Construction”

Matthew