Week 30: July 20-26, 2025 - Delighting in Difficulties
This week’s daily readings:
July 20-26, 2025
This week’s devotional:
Delighting in Difficulties
by Katelyn Arnold
Scripture:
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.
— 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV)
Reflection:
I grew up in a home where talking about your struggles was NOT encouraged; rather it was frowned upon. My siblings, parents, and I would rarely get emotional in front of each other unless there was a death in our family or one of us fought with another. Other than that, we all kind of had that “don’t show your emotions, otherwise you will be seen as weak” mentality. When I became a believer, I soon realized how unhealthy this mentality was because
We are humans. We are not perfect.
God gave us emotions. We must submit those emotions to him, so that they don’t control us.
Vulnerability invites deeper connections with others and with God!
Although I had those three realizations, I am constantly reminding myself of those truths because I still struggle with opening up to my close friends, family, and even the church body. This past year, the Lord has graciously given me a leadership opportunity as the youth group leader. I am very grateful for that, but it makes being vulnerable and showing my weaknesses even more difficult for me. I want to prove to others that I’m a strong and stable leader and worthy of this position. I want to boast in all the amazing things God is doing in my life and how they are benefitting me rather than boasting in all of my difficulties.
And that’s when Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 hit me like a ton of bricks.
I have this “looking spiritual and emotionally strong” way of life completely wrong. Honestly, I am not equipped for this leadership role on my own. It only makes sense that I am a youth leader because Jesus’s power rests on me. In the verses above, Paul confidently states that he will boast with gladness and delight in his weaknesses, difficulties, hardships, and persecutions so that Christ’s power will rest on him. Wow, what a way to exalt the Lord!
When I don’t delight in my weaknesses and hardships and only show people the highlights of what God is providing or doing in my life, I am choosing to praise the Lord only when things are going well for me. And as a result, I am only relying on his tangible blessings for motivation and strength. I am trying so hard to look strong, but I am actually weak because I don’t have Christ’s power to rely on, and I am not trusting that his grace is sufficient for me by itself.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for being faithful to us through your word. Thank you for gently reminding us that you are enough no matter what our circumstances are. Thank you for giving us the strength and wisdom that we need every single day. I ask that you would continuously remind me that being weak is not a bad thing because my weakness is an invitation for your power to move in my heart and life. I ask that you would help me delight in my weaknesses as an example to people in my life. I pray that I would not hold back but boldly share difficulties and hardships with those around me instead of showing only the highlights of my life. I lift up all of these requests to you in Jesus’ name. Amen