For the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time…
I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that
the power of Christ may dwell with me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
There’s a squirrel that’s been hopping around our house for a while. He caught my eye because he only has a stump of a tail. This clearly makes a difference in his movement. His jumps are shorter, less like floating, and he lands more forcefully on the ground. He’s not nearly as graceful as his kin.
The squirrel doesn’t know how his movement is impacted by this limitation. I have countless limitations too, or thorns in the flesh, as Paul describes his own. I know about of some of these weaknesses, and others I probably bear like the squirrel with the stumpy tail, unaware of how they impact me.
The squirrel has adapted. I can too, but I can do even more. I can give the broken, stumpy parts of me—hidden or known that seem to keep me close to the ground—and let God use them, trusting that he will, for his glory.
This is a guest post by Amy Welborn, a regular contributor to Living Faith. Learn more about her at LivingFaith.com. This reflection is an excerpt from 365 Hopeful Devotions for Catholics.
