Power Is Made Perfect...

⁹but 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. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

REFLECTION:

Today we witness real power.

Real power is not coercion. Real power is accompaniment.

On the surface, it seems like the opposite. Real power, it seems, is in might. Just yesterday, we saw our government deploy the "Mother of All Bombs" - a 21,600-pound Massive Ordinance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) on an ISIS-controlled bunker system in Afghanistan. That sure looks like power.

But, I would argue, that is not real power. It's actually relatively easy to destroy. It is much harder to build...much harder to love...much harder to forgive.

The United States' clearest example historically is the Civil Rights Movement. Had a race war started, with weapons of might hurled across contrived battle lines, no change would have come. Hearts would have been hardened further. But when the nation's TV channels carried footage of those students being blown back by fire hoses, the nation's heart began to soften. Sociologists would tell you that was the moment the conversation began to change. And why? Because violence was exposed for the sham that it is.

Today, we remember the day it all changed for all of us. The day Christ willingly submitted to a criminal's death to expose our systems of violence for the sham that they are. Coercion, force, and punishment can win the day over some things. But coercion, force, and punishment can't destroy Love; especially not the same Love that spoke the world into existence. That Love burns right through the experience of death and sets the world ablaze with hope.

Today, know that in whatever ways you feel weak, you are ready to be filled with Love and strength from above. Like an empty glass on the counter, the emptiness doesn't make you useless; in fact, it means you are ready to be filled and fulfill your purpose; to pour out for others.

Today, power looks a little different. May we remember that the way of the cross is not found in might, but in mercy, forgiveness (for ourselves and others), and love.

NOTE: The graphic at the top is from a book entitled "The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb." The two authors sat down with many of the world's great Christian minds to talk about exactly the topic of this post. I would highly recommend it. Find it on Amazon here.

PRAYER:
God, fill us with your love today. Where we feel empty, fill us. Where we feel depleted, fill us. Give us a sense of peace that you will provide the strength we need. Thank you for going to the cross to show us that even our crosses will never have the final say. Amen.