Strong?

An article this morning, focusing on the weaknesses and troubles professional football players face, grabbed my attention.

The writer described the reluctance by football players to admit their frailties. Instead, they put up a tough front. The writer, speaking about football players in general, noted, “He’s just a man, troubled and, in some respects, frail.To show weakness is antithetical.”

One player actually commented on the issue, saying, “In all my time playing and in 10 years of working with players since I retired, I can’t remember one guy, not one, who asked for help…You don’t ever want to show that chink in the armor, that you’re somehow vulnerable.”

Why is there such reluctance for them to admit weakness? One responded that perhaps it’s because “that means he’d have to admit to himself, ‘You mean I’m not tough enough to handle this?’ ”

Weakness. No one wants to appear weak or needy. The Bible, however, is clear that God actually delights in man’s weakness. Paul explained that God was in the process of teaching him to not only acknowledge his weaknesses, but to boast in them. For when Paul was weak, it made room for God’s power and strength to become visible in his life.

What about my own life? Am I feeling the need to somehow walk around like a macho football player who pretends like everything is ok? Or am I willing to admit I’m weak in so many ways, so that God can be seen as the “macho”?

Or furthermore, am I not only willing to admit weakness, but to then seek help? Am I one around whom others can feel okay with showing their own weaknesses?