Strengths and Weaknesses: Two sides of the same coin

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES: TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN

Cl. Mario D’Couto SDB

            We live in a world that gives a lot of prominence to winners. Winning signifies a person’s strength in a particular ability. But is winning everything? If we did not have losers, then where would the winners be? Our idea of winning comes directly from the fact that we all know what it means to lose.

            In the context of Christian living, often at times, there are many who, I may say, are ‘put off’ by the fact of being holy and there are many reasons as to why it is so. To mention one of the reasons, some of them feel that being or becoming holy in today’s world is like a far distant dream. The reason? Materialism, pragmatism and other such cultural trends.

            This is indeed a great cause of concern as it seems that this thing just does not seem to stop. Besides, none of us know what the future is going to be like. However, I would like to comment on this. It is true that as humans we are weak, perhaps in all aspects. But there is, however, one aspect in which we are strong and that is our “Will”. In fact, even though this may be a single ‘forte’, I believe that this is what will put everything else into place. It is our ‘will’, the choice that we make that will lift us sky high or will break us down little by little.

            Now apparently, it would seem that salvation lies in our hands, like as though as to say, it is something we should earn. However salvation is a gift and this is what brings me to the point that I want to make through this short reflection.

            St. Paul in one of his letters writes, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” This is what, perhaps, sums up our wholistic understanding of weakness. Looking at the other side of the coin, we can certainly say that there is something novel about this whole phenomenon of weakness.

            To be weak means we are lacking something and to lack something means there is some void to be filled. This emptiness signifies openness. It is like saying suppose if I want to fill a jug that is filled with water with cold drink, I would first have to empty that jug of water and then pour the cold drink in it. In the same way, our lives too are something like that. In order to change we need to be open and openness signifies “readiness”. We need to be ready to remove all that is not right within us in order to make the change.


            To be weak signifies the thorn in the flesh that keeps annoying us, as described by St. Paul. It gives us a chance to be humble and not be swell-headed like as though we were some kind of walking-talking encyclopedia or some highly efficient robot. However, we should take care not to have self-pity. This is because self-pity stifles our growth. It blocks us or blinds us from the various possibilities that are there before us. Hence while weakness certainly has its positive side, it can become a source of distraction and this is something I think we all need to be aware of. 

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