How to Become a Strong Wimp
“I can bench press three of you,” my son tells me. Or, "Nice job, mom. You’re lifting my warmup weight.” I’m not offended by their quips. We’ve been going to the gym together since my youngest was in first grade, so he could get his wiggles out before school. I consider myself blessed to be able to workout as a family.
I used to be able to lift heavier than my boys, and for a while, the competitiveness in me tried to keep up with them. Then they hit their teenage years, flooded with testosterone, and I was left in the dust. I’d lift my small weights while they hefted a bar six times mine, but I’m comfortable with my weakness because I’m only a wimp when I’m trying to muscle through on my own.
“I’ve got this.”
How often do we try to wrestle problems in our own strength? I can’t count how many times I’ve rolled over to discover the clock reads 2:00 am because my mind is trying to come up with a solution. Or those times when I take matters into my own hands, knowing I should pray about it first and seek God’s wisdom.
When I try to handle things in my own strength, I’m usually left exhausted, battered, and defeated. It’s like I’m trying to deadlift my sons’ 300-lb weighted barbell. If I’m lucky, I might be able to get it off the floor an inch or two, but I’m going to pull out my back, pop some blood vessels in my face, and be sore for the next three days.
Wouldn’t it be easier to step aside and let God have a go?
We’re lifting way too heavy, especially when we’re under spiritual attack and trying to fight in our own strength against an invisible foe who’s been on the earth for centuries, and who hates us specifically because God loves us. Paul says in Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” It’s important, before we fight and do everything we can to stand, that we put on the full armor of God.
When we’re in the Bible and prayed up, we receive supernatural wisdom, peace, and power. Ephesians 6:10 says, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” When I start my day by putting on spiritual armor (the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes of peace, shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit), I’m able to discern situations better. I’m less likely to be tempted, offended, or riled up.
God’s power is made perfect in weakness because it becomes obvious we couldn’t have gone it alone. Weakness makes us relatable because we all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. We’re all weak. I blog about my parenting fails, past regrets, and writing struggles, not because I want readers to think less of me, but because I believe others who are going through similar trials can be encouraged. Also, I don’t want my hardships to go to waste. If I can be transparent and help someone avoid a struggle or come out of it quicker, then the devil loses.
Paul states in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “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 weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
It's okay to be a proud wimp.