When I Am Weak, I Am Strong

..but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:9-10

In our culture in which success is so often defined by power, wealth, achievement, capability and consumption, these verses are puzzling, if not confounding.  If we read this from a child perspective, though, I think we gain insight.  

Children consistently recognize their limitations, their vulnerability:  I sense this is a defining trait of what anthropologists refer to as the “social group” of childhood:  a sense of shared vulnerability.  They are continuously aware adults direct this world and the power of children is finite.  

We often notice a toddler who likes to nurture a baby, how preschoolers mother toddlers or how school-agers enjoy taking care of preschoolers.  School-agers will often take instruction more easily from adolescents --- one reason we so often engage those high schoolers as small group leaders for younger children.  

This leads me to wonder:  Is it that those who have no pretense of being self-sufficient have an “easier” time of seeing God?  I have often heard children’s prayers and sensed a closeness to God that I strive to duplicate.  Is children’s capacity to see through God’s eyes, to call upon His presence so easily, in part, because they accept their vulnerability?  Do they sense God is the power over all, including over the adults in their world (Mark 6:13)?  Does this acceptance of vulnerability remove the lens of pretense from their eyes?  

To avoid romanticizing childhood, we cannot forget that children’s vulnerability can lead to them becoming victims of adult greed and malice.  We have the opportunity to be a person who serves children without the trappings of our cultural success (Mark 6:1-13) and who leads them to the hope of Christ.  

I am cleaning and tidying my home over the summer, a “chore” over which I love to languish. I came across a greeting card given to me in high school by a significant mentor that included a verse from Helen Keller, one who certainly recognized her vulnerability in this world in which capacity is so valued.  Her words inspire those of us who serve children:  

Be happy, talk happiness.  Happiness calls out responsive gladness in others.  There is enough sadness in the world without yours...Never doubt the excellence and permanence of what is yet to be...Join the great company of those who make the barren places of life fruitful with kindness...Your success and happiness lies within you...The great enduring realities are love and service...Resolve to be happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties. -Helen Keller

May we be teachers whose love points to the God of the vulnerable.   

Reflections with Children:

What do people in our community seem to value?  How do people here define success?  How do the families of your friends define success or what does it mean to them to be successful?  How will you know if you are successful?  What might it mean to God?  What do you do that pleases God?  In what ways do you rely upon God?  How does God come into your life?  What is the difference between needing God and learning to do things for yourself?  When do you need God and when can you do things for yourself-- or are they the same?  

Reflections as an Adult:  

Do you sense our culture values power, achievement, wealth, achievement, capability and consumption?  If not, what is your sense of our culture’s values?  How do you define success?  How are your needs met?  What areas of weakness point you to God?  When do we need other people?  When do we need God?  How do our need for community and God interact with our desire to be self-sufficient?  

Reflections among Children’s Teachers and Pastors:

What experiences have you had in which children have demonstrated their vulnerability?  How do we handle children’s vulnerability in ways that protect them from overindulgence?  Have you sensed children’s respect for power when they are with God?  How can we connect children to God’s power while not taking advantage of their vulnerability?