LL 93 “Boast”

We often think strength comes from being capable and composed. But what if real power comes from the places we’d rather hide? 

Boasting About Weaknesses 

“And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that His power may dwell in, rest on, work through me.’ Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for His sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” 

Finding Strength in What We’d Rather Hide 

There’s nothing more powerful in my life than this secret. Each morning, He says, "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty and marvelous and wondrous things, which you do not know…things to come, things you could never figure out on your own, remarkable secrets…“ Trust me, it’s “A Whole New World.”

In fact, it’s been so powerful that when I was writing children’s books, I called it having a superpower. And that’s exactly what it is. 

Boasting about weaknesses brings a unique form of strength and peace you can’t find any other way. It’s the opposite of what we’re taught to do. The world tells us to present the best version of ourselves—to build confidence, to appear strong. But the truth is, when we’re willing to admit our weaknesses honestly and without shame, we discover a deeper kind of power. Beyond admitting, rather, "boasting" brings enhanced benefits that have been kept a secret by the very ones who should have been warning us of the dangers of pride.

Most people, even those in leadership or counseling, have opened a Pandora's box and grabbed hold of the lie of “building oneself up.” It sounds positive, but it is a slippery slope that leads right back to pride, pressure, and pretending. There’s no greater trap than talking highly of ourselves. Real change happens when we do the opposite—when we acknowledge our weaknesses with honesty and humility. 

That’s where real power begins. It’s steady and warm, like being wrapped in a comforting blanket. Once you experience it, you realize how free you feel. 

As I was "recording this vision," I remembered a long, deep conversation I'd just had with my son—it lasted almost three hours! During our conversation, I must have mentioned a dozen times how powerful it is to boast about our weaknesses and even our mistakes. One example surprised him so much that he asked about it several times. I told him that I had been the adulteress, not his father. 

All I heard was silence, even though I'd said it countless times to him before; he was stunned. This led to him defending me that I didn't know that passage of God's Word, but then I explained, I never had a Bible, not one growing up, because in the church I was raised in, owning a Bible was discouraged. Later, when I married his father, he made sure I didn’t have one either because he wanted to be my spiritual leader. It wasn't until he left that I had my first bible—the Bible he left behind when he left to live with the other woman. Looking back, I can see how even that was used for good, though at the time it left me without a clear understanding of truth. 

My son was surprised to learn that I didn’t have a Bible until RMI was founded in 1991. That’s a long time. For years, I truly didn’t know what God said.  I had a deep, close relationship, which is my lifelong mission to promote opening the door for every woman. So now, I actually enjoy sharing that part of my story. Whenever I say, “Don’t forget, I was the adulteress,” it still surprises him—but it also brings him joy. It changed how he sees me and deepened our connection. 

That conversation reminded me how powerful it is to speak openly about our weaknesses. Once you start, it will be hard to stop. You'll be set free. And it breaks down barriers you didn’t even know were there. 

At first, you may think you'll feel uncomfortable or awkward. But that’s what makes it so beautiful, you don't. When you’re honest about your weaknesses, you begin to understand the quiet strength that comes with humility, tapping into His endless power. 

Take a moment to think about this truth and ask yourself, "What weaknesses could I bring into the light?" Then ask Him, "Where should I start to open my heart, honesty instead of hiding?" 

When we stop pretending, we stop feeling ashamed. The very things we once tried to conceal can become the same things that connect us most deeply with others. 

That kind of openness helps people. When you share honestly, others no longer feel jealous or intimidated. It removes comparison and softens hearts. It brings people together instead of driving them apart. 

And most of all—it sets us free! 

You and I are no longer carrying the weight of hiding or pretending. We’re no longer afraid of being seen as imperfect. That freedom brings peace, joy, and healing in ways that reach every part of your life and my life. 

I’ve experienced that deeply. I live alone now, and I love it. When I had a house full of children and a husband who was always around, I used to wake up at three in the morning just to have a quiet moment with the Love of my Life. Oftentimes, I’d have a baby nursing in my arms. Oh, how I cherished those still, dark hours. I still do. My time alone isn't loneliness—it's peaceful, grounding, and recharging. 

That same stillness is where I find strength, especially now. And it’s not my strength; it’s tapping into His strength, while we remain weak as His weaker vessel. 

How This Chapter Began 

This message didn’t begin as a chapter. It started as a note for the RRMI family—a way to help older sisters learn how to recognize both strengths and weaknesses in one another. 

I wanted them to be able to see clearly where someone might struggle, not to criticize, but to help. To notice when something made it hard to work with or relate to someone—and then to share it, carefully, with others who loved that person and genuinely wanted their best. 

While writing those notes, I realized something deeper. So often, we avoid sharing weaknesses because we’ve seen how gossip or judgment can hurt people. But instead of learning balance, we swing to the other extreme and never say anything at all. That silence keeps people stuck. 

The idea for this chapter was born from that moment—recognizing that balance. To speak the truth drenched in His love. To acknowledge weaknesses without judgment. To understand that we all have them, and that hiding them helps no one. 

That’s where the concept of “boasting about weaknesses” took root for me—not as a theory, but as something I had lived and witnessed God use to transform my relationships, especially with my children. 

So, what began as simple teaching notes became something much more—a living lesson, a living and breathing lesson, that continues to change my life. 

Conclusion 

When we finally stop hiding, something inside of us exhales. The fear lifts. The pretending ends. What’s left is connection—real and honest. That’s where strength begins—not in perfection, but in the courage to be transparent and remain weak to be perfected—to tap into His endless, unlimited strength. When we cannot just admit what we once tried to hide, but boast about it, that’s when we discover that our greatest power grows and blooms out of our weakest places. 

Call to Action 

Start today. Ask Him to remind you of just one weakness—something small, something real, or the one that is holding you back and talk about it first with Him, and then ask Him who to talk to openly with someone you trust. Don’t plan it, just leave it to Him, and you will be surprised, it will just pop out of your mouth. Wait until you see how free you feel when you no longer need to defend it or explain it away. Just admitting it. Owning it. It will allow you to breathe freely. 

Then notice what happens: relief, lightness, the way honesty clears the air. That’s the beginning of freedom. Keep going. Keep boasting—humbly, sincerely, and with gratitude for this gift from Him. 

Remember, every time you dare to be real, you permit someone else to do the same. And that’s how change begins—one honest heart at a time.