I came to you in weakness.

Strong, successful, smart—clearly, these are admirable qualities, and for good reason.   They are gifts coming from the hand of a loving God. But as admirable and helpful as these gifts are, there are a few things they cannot do.   First, and most important, they don’t make us more valuable in God’s eyes.   What’s more, they don’t make us better witnesses to the gospel.   Of course, God is pleased when we use our gifts to build his Church, but that doesn’t mean he loves us any more than before.   Intelligence, strength, and other abilities are simply attributes God expects us to develop and put to good use.

St. Paul makes this point in scripture.   Pointing to his own story, he tells the Corinthians that he came to them aware of his weaknesses so that the “power of God” might be revealed.   Now, Paul had many gifts: he himself was strong, intelligent, persuasive, and steadfast. But he also had his fair share of negative qualities.   He had a short temper, he sometimes didn’t get along with the other disciples, and his zeal for the gospel could sometimes get the better of him.   But despite his weaknesses—and despite his strengths—what really mattered when he came to Corinth was his reliance on the “power of God,” on the Holy Spirit.

Like Paul, you too have gifts and abilities, and like him, you have weaknesses as well.   But again like Paul, you reveal God to other people, by virtue of the simple fact that God made you and filled you with his Holy Spirit.   He shines out from you just as you are, even as he continues to mold you and strengthen you.

Paul’s faults didn’t disqualify him from serving God, and neither do yours. As St. John Paul II once said, “We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son” (World Youth Day Homily, 5, July 28, 2002).   You don’t have to be perfect for God to use you.   Just tell God you want to try, and ask him to help you reduce your faults and increase your talents.

Word Among Us