I am a huge geek. Anytime a new Star Wars, Avengers, Wolverine, or Batman movie comes out, I’ll probably see it. That goes double for Superman. I mean, come on! The Man of Steel? He’s faster than a speeding bullet! In case you didn’t know, he’s more powerful than a locomotive! If that’s not enough for you, he’s able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! If you are wondering where you might find him, you look up in the sky. It isn’t a bird and it certainly isn’t a plane…it’s Superman!!!
Okay, I’m done.
But seriously, I love the Superman comics and yes, even the Super Friends Cartoon that I used to watch as a kid (’73-’85). To answer the question, that you aren’t asking, yes I am excited about the James Gunn Superman movie. I can’t wait!
That being said, it is hard to beat the Christopher Reeve’s movie version. As a kid, it was so cool to see Superman flying through the sky, with those amazing 1978 graphics, rescuing people in distress, catching helicopters falling out of the sky, and fighting an 80’s Kryptonian hair band in the sequel.
Superman is impossible to beat!
I mean, except for the whole Kryptonite thing. Unfortunately for Superman, it seems like everybody has Kryptonite these days. Batman had a stash. Lex Luthor was able to score some for his lab. In the comics, even an aging Green Arrow was able to shoot an arrow with Kryptonite at Superman and beat him. I mean…Green Arrow people!!! That’s tough to watch.
You see, even Superman has weaknesses. Let’s be honest, if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be much fun to watch. It’s all a part of the hero’s journey and our lives too.
All of us have weaknesses. If you are like me, you might have a whole pantheon of weaknesses. It could be people-pleasing. It might seem like kindness at first but if you are a people pleaser, you know the truth. It is a bottomless pit that can get you into a lot of trouble. Your weakness could be something that looks good from the outside like achieving. Those of us who are geared that way know that there is no end to the things we can achieve. You never reach a point where you can sit back and think “I made it! I’m finally a winner!”
We also have weaknesses that fit into the category of vices. Things like addiction, greed, pride, lust, and anger. It doesn’t matter what we call them, they are all weaknesses that keep us at a distance from becoming who we want to become.
The Apostle Paul had weaknesses too. He called it a “thorn” in his flesh. There have been all kinds of speculation on what that thorn was. Many think that this was some sort of physical malady like an infection or malaria. Others thought it was his eyesight due to a few verses that address seeing poorly or writing with “large letters”. Still there are many who believe it was a sin that he repeatedly failed to overcome. It might have been lust, anger, pride, or a self-confidence issue.
The fact that Scripture leaves this undefined is encouraging to me. The truth is that it doesn’t matter what it was. It caused him angst and it was a barrier to becoming the person he hoped to be and he felt powerless against it.
Isn’t it weird that he included it in a letter to a group of Christians? Can you imagine? That’s pretty risky, even in Paul’s day.
It would seem that Paul is modeling something for us here. He didn’t have to confess this in a letter to his friends in Galatia. He could have gone on one of his infamous tirades about his accomplishments, the many things he had done in his lifetime (see also Phil 3:4-6). Instead, he chose to show us his strength by admitting his weakness.
He was vulnerable and authentic.
I love what author, speaker, and vulnerability expert Brene Brown says about weakness.
“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage.”
I love that! The very thing we are petrified with fear over, is the ultimate act of courage. To be honest about our flaws and failures. That is our superpower!
It is our superpower because we are not resting in our strength but God’s. When Paul talks about his “thorn”, he says he prayed for it to disappear…three times!!! Was God not listening? Did He have more important matters to attend to? What was God’s response to his prayer?
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.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
The consolation that Paul gets is God’s unending favor throughout his life. He will try and fail. God will still be with him. He will do the opposite of what he was supposed to do. God is still with him. He will want to quit and throw in the towel and find a new job. God will still be with him. So Paul makes a conscious decision to broadcast His failures.
Not only will He never depart from him, power will be the result of his persistence. A side effect of this superpower is resilience. That resilience is through the Holy Spirit who has never left him and will work through his weaknesses.
If Paul is honest about his flaws and failures, the strength that people will see in him will be from Jesus. The Spirit from within, will drive him forward even if he fails (Romans 8:26). He will just keep failing forward!
God’s grace, unmerited love, was sufficient for Paul. His grace was enough. The fact that God only has imperfect people to choose from and does amazing things through them, is a cause for celebration! It is a relief from the constant striving toward perfection and the incessant race toward the top of the ladder, which you will never reach.
The love of God from within Paul, will overwhelm his inability and cover his failure. (1 Peter 4:8). It was true for Paul and it is true for us today.
This isn’t an excuse to hurt or malign, but it is a comfort to know that when we have the best of intentions and things do not turn out the way we anticipated, God’s power is perfected in our weakness.
The power of Jesus is perfected in us as we press on during difficulty. Yes, we will mess things up but Jesus forgives us when we confess this to Him. When we pick ourselves up, learn from our mistakes, and make the decision to keep moving, the power of God’s love is on full display to the people around us.
When we’re vulnerable with God and others, when we’re honest about our struggles but continue to say “yes” to Jesus, letting go of our shame and embarrassment, it will be evident to the outside world that God is up to something.
We can show our strength to others by admitting our weaknesses.
The secret to our strength is not the sun or the planet Krypton, but in the person of Jesus.
God’s power can only be perfected when we admit that our faults are ours, not His. The good that people see, is a combination of our faith and the Spirit at work in and through us.
Our courageous decision to be vulnerable with others will be a turning point in our relationship with Jesus. We will begin to tap into the Spirit’s power in our lives when we remove the things that hold us back.
Try something for me. Have some faith this week. Talk to a friend about an area of weakness that you are struggling through. When you do, watch how God uses that confession to open up conversation. There is power in admitting your weaknesses to a trusted friend. It helps you and it helps them. It shows them that you are safe to open up to and gives them permission to do the same and it releases both of you from the burden of having to carry that around with you everywhere that you go (Galatians 6:2). I’m not advocating that you emotionally vomit on someone you just met, the “trusted friend” part of that is important.
Our Kryptonite is our fear. The fear of being found out and the fear of not measuring up. Perfect love (1 John 4:18), the love of Jesus, casts out fear. That fear keeps us from sharing on a heart level, things that could help us move forward. Practice your faith by having the courage to show your weakness to someone you trust this week. They might return the favor.
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” 1 John 4:18
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