Strength & Weaknesses

What if I told you that our greatest strength is often our greatest weakness?

It's the areas of life where we are the strongest that we lean on and make our weaknesses. The crutch of strength gives way to weakness. We lean on it so heavily that it can, and will, break.

For me, it's that I am a strong independent woman, and I am not favorable to leaning on others for support. I love doing the part where I take of others, but I am not so great at letting others take care of me.

Let's face it, we all need help at some point in life, however, when those times come in my world, my strength becomes my weakness very quickly.

I remember the time I had to have a serious knee surgery, so much so the doctor requested my husband be brought home from sea and given thirty days off, because of the surgery I was going to be unable to do anything for quite a bit of time.

I am so thankful that my husband had that time available to be home. The doctor knew what he was talking about. Had he not been the one to be my caretaker, I would have been in a much more difficult position.

As I look back at that time in my life, it was as if the Lord was saying to me, "have a seat, I want your attention." What he wanted was for me to let others take care of me. Not my cup of tea.

I was angry for a while, but then he let me see my husband through another set of eyes.

It wasn't a punishment; it was a gift. See I had always taken care of everything, and now I could do nothing but sit. I could put no weight on my leg, I could not even lift my leg. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to see life through that different lens. And more so, see my husband through the eyes of another.

It all started while at physical therapy for my leg/knee (which my Jeff would have to take me to) there was an older gentleman there as well doing his.

One afternoon while we were working on our exercises, he looked at me and said, "He loves you very much", as I looked at him probably with a puzzled look on my face, he stated, "He looks at you like I looked at my wife and I loved her so much."

It was really a blow to me to hear that from someone else, to see Jeff through the eyes of an old man, was life-changing, marriage-changing and gave me a love for Jeff that I had never realized.

I am truly loved by a wonderful man, and it wasn't until that day, that I realized that what a true gift he was. As I watched him care for me in my weakness, there was no greater love extended to me than through my strength.

I hope you will take some time and explore yourself, because only you know yourself, and see what you feel your strengths and weaknesses are. Then see them through the opposite lens, and then we are better prepared to not let the strength become the weakness.