What does “Celebrating Weakness” really mean?
I have never been to an “AA” (Alcoholics Anonymous) or a “NA” (Narcotics Anonymous) meeting, but I have seen enough TV shows and movies to envision what they might be like. Imagine with me a room set up with a circle of chairs. The chairs are filled with brave but broken people, and they take turns saying their name, and their weakness.
I’m Joan, and I’m an alcoholic.
I’m Nicole, and I’m addicted to prescription drugs.
I’m Megan, and I’m addicted to meth.
The room is a safe place for brave but broken women to publicly acknowledge their weakness. CelebratingWeakness.com is a safe place for brave but broken women to publicly acknowledge their weakness.
I really struggled with God over the name “Celebrating Weakness” because I cannot find Biblically where we are to honor or praise our weaknesses. I did a word study of the word Paul used when he said that he delighted in weaknesses (2 Cor. 12:10, NIV). It basically means “to take pleasure in.” Paul took pleasure in his weakness but the Bible does not say to praise weaknesses.
But I was on the wrong track in trying to determine the Biblical accuracy of my blog name. God had me look up the English definition of the word “Celebrate.” The very first entry said, “Publicly Acknowledge.” It was a kick in the gut. Here I’ve been thinking that I was smarter than God, and I realize that He has been smarter than me all along. He wants me to create a blog that is a safe place for us to “publicly acknowledge” our weaknesses.
How many times has someone asked you, “How are you?” and you reply “Fine” even though you are inwardly falling apart? You long to tell the truth but fear and the desire to “keep up appearances” keep your tongue cemented in place.
CelebratingWeakness.com is a place where you can say, “I am not fine” and you will not be reprimanded for telling the truth. You won’t be censured for not speaking in faith. No one will cast you out for not being perfect. It is a place where we can be truthful about the weak and broken places in our lives. We don’t have to hide here….we can be real. The naked truth is this: Life is hard. My life is not perfect, even though outwardly it doesn’t look too shabby. My desire is that as I public acknowledge my own weaknesses as I share my life with you, then you will find that same freedom to be real in your own circle of friends.
At CelebratingWeakness.com, it is safe to say:
I’m Lisa, and I struggle with Chronic Migraine
I’m Hope, and my husband has depression
I’m Sue, and my daughter is in jail again
I’m Patricia, and I have panic attacks
I’m Linda, and I can’t pay my bills
I’m Emily, and my daughter is doing drugs
I’m Katie, and my husband just asked for a divorce
I’m April, and all my friends are married but me
I’m Courtney, and I want to have a baby but we can’t
This blog is a safe place to publicly acknowledge your weakness. But publicly acknowledging weakness is not the end of the story.
The apostle Paul knew that God’s power was made perfect in weakness so that when he was weak, he was strong. At CelebratingWeakness.com you will hear that God’s power is made perfect in your weakness. You will find encouragement that when we are weak, God gives us strength. You will gain hope that a perfect God can work through an imperfect woman. You will find encouragement in knowing that you are not the only one that struggles. You will discover the strength to face another day with God’s help.
Most importantly, you will find freedom in admitting your current reality while clinging to your faith-filled hope for your future.
We all struggle, ladies. But are you brave enough to admit it?
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