witness - noun, an individual who, being present, personally sees or perceives a thing; a beholder, spectator, or eyewitness.

The chief goal of fundamental Christianity is to spread the gospel, taken from the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19:

Therefore, go and make discipiles of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..

For many this means to get the gospel of Christ to everyone who may not have heard, especially people in the heathen countries, whose men, women and children face eternal damnation, simply because they never got the word.  For those of the Reformed persuasion, the Commission is just the method in which God brings to himself those that he has chosen to save, rejecting the rest to that same eternal torture.

A witness, then, is someone who tells others about what Christ has done in his or her life.  The answer is always that “Christ has saved me from my sins.”  This phrase is further explained as Christ’s atoning sacrifice, dying on the cross in my place, which provides instant forgiveness for all of my sins — past, present and future — if I would but believe it to be true and accept him as my savior.  Beyond that, life pretty much continues on as before, except that now I’m required to annoy everyone around me, plying them with gospel tracts and memorized Bible verses, so that if, God forbid, they should reject Christ, then their blood isn’t on my hands.

I don’t buy it.  

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But he [Christ] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

II Corinthians 12:9

The Apostle Paul was referring to his thorn in the flesh, yet not identifying just what it was. It seemed to be some physical or mental deficiency that annoyed him. Having asked God to remove it on three occasions, he was now ready not only to accept it, but to embrace it. However, in the same passage he reports that someone (very likely himself) received a great revelation and was caught up to paradise.

Strength in weakness is a paradox in which one must be accepted in order to gain the other. The natural tendency, though, is to regard weakness as a negative. We’re taught that only the strong survive, only the aggressive make it in this world, and “do unto others before they do it unto you.” 

To be sure, who would naturally welcome insults, hardships, persecutions and difficulties, as listed in verse 10? If we are truly honest, we must admit that weakness is the natural condition for insecurity, sadness, depression and a troubled spirit. So what does the verse mean?

It may very well be a dramatic antithesis for pride, which boasts of strength, accomplishments, beauty and position in life. It’s less of wallowing in weakness, but rather recognizing that our focus is directed to the One who gives us strength. We must realize that all that we have can be taken away from us at any moment. We see it every day. Life itself is fleeting. My 61-year-old body can hardly keep up with my 20-year-old mind.

If we are founded in the fact that God is our strength, then we understand that any supposed weakness, by the world’s standards, is used by Him to sanctify us. It is also used to draw our attention to Him and to keep our pride at bay. Our lives consist of constant reassessments of who we are and why we are here. As our relationship with our Creator grows deeper, we are less likely to dwell on the meaning of life. We simply live it. His grace is sufficient.