Like many Christians, I often feel a pressure to perform, to be a "good" Christian, to somehow live up to God's expectations (or are they my own?). What a liberating thought, that we can delight in our own weaknesses instead of feeling defeated because of them! And know that God's power is made perfect in them!

Whenever I read this passage I feel the pressure lift off. It reminds me that it is God's all-sufficient grace that not only makes me worthy, but leads me into more Christ-like character. No wonder Paul could find such joy in his failings and difficulties - he had learned how to rely on Christ's strength rather than his own.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10