The Strength Found in Weakness

We all have weaknesses. But what if those weaknesses are where God's power shines the brightest? 

This week on Solid Start, Greg and Brian dive into Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 12:7–10, where God reminds us, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." 

If you've ever felt inadequate, overwhelmed, or wondered how God could use your struggles for His glory, this episode is a reminder that His grace is enough—and that our greatest strength is found when we fully depend on Christ.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Well, good morning, everyone, and welcome to another episode of Solid Start, a podcast designed to get your week off to a solid start by focusing on life from God's perspective. I'm Greg Reed, life coach at Merrill Bros headquarters in Kokomo, Indiana, joined by my wonderful and amazing co-host Brian Herzog. Woo woo woo, Brian. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome back. Good to see you today. Good to see you too. So how's uh how's the weekend? I take it you survive, you're here, so it's all good.

SPEAKER_00 0:31

It was a hot one on Saturday, though. It was really hot. Yeah, we had soccer practice in early in the morning, but we still had to take a good break because we were just sweating our heads off just standing there. Right. It was good. Yeah. Um yeah, didn't do anything too crazy. Okay. Did you watch soccer?

SPEAKER_01 0:50

Are you a soccer fan? So watched yesterday the big match, the overtime match. Yeah, a lot of people are like, it was one-nothing.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

It was a boring game. Like if you like defense, it was an amazing game.

SPEAKER_01 1:02

It was it was I only watched the last, I don't know, the last probably 10 minutes of the you know regulation time and then into the overtime. And and why is it that you can't, every other sport, you know, if somebody fouls out, you can just bring somebody in, but they they were down to play it.

SPEAKER_00 1:19

It's like a for permanent power play, like in in hockey. Okay. It's to deter people from playing too rough or dirty. Okay. So if you get a red card, you're out. Yeah. Out. And they can't replace you. And they cannot, you're down to make it.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

At least in the MBA or NFL, if you you know get thrown out of the game, they just you know, you don't play with 10 players, you play with your normal squad. Yeah. Okay. You're you're done. Yeah.

unknown 1:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:45

So I think that made a huge difference. Oh, yeah. Only having 10 guys as opposed to 11. Yeah, that kind of hurt. Argentina, but it was a good game. Yeah, yeah, it was fun just uh to watch and to see what was uh what was going on. So nothing uh else made, but it was uh hot. I don't know where everybody else is listening to this, but you probably experienced some heat or some rain or some humidity somewhere along the line. So hey, I wanted to uh ask you a question I asked this morning in our uh safety meeting. Uh thinking back over your career before you got to Merlbros, who was the best boss you ever looked that you ever worked for, Brian? Yeah, it'd be Gary Green at Indiana Westland. Gary Green, okay. And tell us about why was that such a great job and what is it about Gary that uh made him a great boss.

SPEAKER_00 2:32

There's a lot of things. Um number one, we could have great conversation. Okay. He'd just sit and talk about anything. He he asked over and over again, like, how's the family? How are you doing? He got to know me as a person, got to know my family and the things that we were going through. Um he stood up for me in a lot of times. There were some things that were going on, some some something happened that wasn't true, and he he went to battle for me. Well, um, which was really um and just I I could just tell that he loved me and loved the folks that were under him, and that yeah that was huge. Learned a lot from him. Hopefully, I model a lot of those same characteristics.

SPEAKER_01 3:12

For sure, yes. You know, I asked that question this morning, and really the answers were it was somebody who cared, somebody who listened. Um in one case, it was somebody who believed in that person uh and treated them like they mattered, like, hey, you really make a difference. So leaders, I think, who leave the deepest mark in our lives usually aren't the most impressive, they're the most authentic. And I uh I played a video clip this morning, I wasn't even really really aware of what this was called, but it's an ancient Japanese art form called Kent Suji. And it's really where they take broken things and put them back together. I mean, in the pieces, if you uh if you are listening here and you want to uh uh uh Google that or you do a YouTube video, it is fascinating uh how they do this. So they took a broken plate and they restored it uh using some kind of a glue, but it has these gold edges. And so you see these plates, and they're just absolutely gorgeous, or or saucers, or a cup, uh, or a bowl. And so it's just the picture was was beautiful. I mean, I'd I'm sure they're very expensive. I went on Amazon if I man, that's more than I want to pay. But it's not necessarily just the gold part of it. Uh, that's what you notice first, but what makes it special is that the gold simply tells the story. And the story is there's this beautiful plate that was broken or a dish. Uh, and someone cared enough to restore it instead of throwing it away. And so I was thinking as I watched that video that our culture usually hates broken things, or they either hide them or they replace them. You know, we take them to Goodwill, or we take them to, you know, something like that. But Kent Suji does just the opposite. It says that the broken places are part of the story. And so that's not just true for uh plates and bowls, it's true for people. So a guy named Paul who wrote half the New Testament, uh, he discovered that lesson in a deeply personal way. So, Brian, I think I'll have you read those uh verses from 2 Corinthians chapter 12, and it's verses 7 to 10, and it's a it's a remarkable story that Paul tells.

SPEAKER_00 5:38

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded to the Lord to take it away from me, but he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, and difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 6:23

That's not always how I respond, Brian. You know, Paul carried what this he describes as a thorn in the flesh. Uh we don't know what it was. Uh there are lots of speculations, maybe could have been his eyes, could have been a number of things. Um, but three different times he pleaded with God to take it away. And you think, okay, this is the Apostle Paul. God just take it away, make it, make it so it's better. Yeah, he's got things to do for you, places to go, people to see. Yeah. And uh imagine praying that earnestly and hearing God say no. But God instead, as you read, said, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. I wish that said, My power is made perfect in strength. Because I don't I really don't like weakness. I don't like being weak. I don't like being dependent. I'm sure at first that wasn't the answer that Paul wanted. Eventually, however, I think he realized that's exactly what he needed. God wasn't simply interested in removing every crack in Paul's life, he wanted his grace to shine through those cracks so that everyone who met Paul would see Christ instead of Paul. I I think it was probably 13 or 14 years ago, I realized that uh I was having difficulty writing, and my writing just started looking, it was just harder to write. And even trying to type, basically anything that required fine motor skills, even trying to pick up a glass, I thought that's that I shouldn't, that shouldn't be hard, and it there shouldn't be any shaking going on. And so I uh the eating became an issue for me, and so I thought I'll just start eating left-handed. And so I'd eaten right-handed all my life, and I just thought my left hand didn't seem to be as impacted. And so then my wife, as she started to notice, she said, I'm concerned that that might be par some form of Parkinson's. So I uh finally went to the neurologist, which uh I didn't want to do because that's where people go when they have mental problems. Um and so went there and basically he um diagnosed me with a mild familial uh tremor, which just means from my family. So thanks to my parents, thanks, mom and dad. Uh somehow that that weakness got passed on to me. And the doctor says, I don't, I don't think that's Parkinson's. I can't, you know, guarantee that, but it's just it was enough that he prescribed medicine. And so I've been taking uh medicine for that probably 12, 13 years, and I really don't like that. I don't I don't like having to be concerned about, hey, what am I going to eat? Um like I usually don't, if I go out to eat, I don't usually order soup because it's hard to eat. No, I can eat, you know, sandwich is easy, you know. I love french fries anyway, so those are easy. Anything that you can pick up is way easier than something that requires, you know, even uh you know, trying to plug balance, yeah, trying to plug something in, a screwdriver and trying to fit it into the notch on the screw. That's hard at times. And it and it kind of comes and goes a little bit, but that's uh, you know, again, like Paul, I said, God, I I really don't need this. This doesn't really fit into my agenda. Um, but yet God has something in mind. Uh, it was so fascinating that uh after after I shared that this morning, I was we had a some conversations with people after the meeting, and one uh guy came up to me and said, Hey, I know what you're talking about, and he has an essential tremor as well. And I had no clue uh that that was going on in his life, and yet because I shared that, then he was willing to say, Hey, I I know what you're talking about. So I just think that uh, you know, these uh idea that everyone is uh perfect, obviously that's not the case. Um it doesn't mean we tell everybody about every struggle we're facing. Wise leaders know the difference between a scar and a wound. But uh our practice assignment for this week is to be willing to share a scar, not necessarily a wound, with someone that you work with. Um so is there something, Brian, that comes up for you that you say, hey, that's that's kind of a a scar that I don't really like to talk about that much. I know that's kind of personal. Um but anything for you that you say, hey, here's how God has shaped me through failure, disappointment, hardship, and gives maybe hope to others that God will meet them there as well.

SPEAKER_00 11:20

An example, Greg, is right now we're dealing with um some medical issues, uh neurological issues with my daughter. Um, and this isn't me personally, I want to talk about her and how a parent, you know, how we're trying to work through this. Um like she has an appointment today where she's gotta go see a specialist. Um this this situation has been so hard for us, right? Because when when you see this thorn in the flesh and we've prayed, God, please take this away from her. Please take this away from her. We I just want my baby girl to be healthy and do the things that she wants to do, and she's not able to do them right now. And so we you know, we have prayed more than three times. Maybe three hundred times. And and God has just said for right now in this season, he says, My grace is sufficient enough for you. And and for me as a dad and for my wife, you know, we're trying to do our best to share that with our daughter because she's going through it. Like we we're all going through, but it it it's her life and she's dealing with that. And it's real hard as a parent to watch your child go through those things, but also uh for us, we have to keep encouraging her and encouraging us that God is with us through us through all of this. And we don't know why she's going through this, but we just trust in him and and say, God, you when if you want to heal her, we know you can. But if you don't, just show us how we can use this situation um to praise you. Um maybe not, you know, it may be a year from now, she may meet someone else who has had the same condition and be like, hey, listen, I know where you are, I I can help you through this. I know it's a mental struggle and all those things. So that that's really difficult when we have things like that with with with ourselves um or within your kids or people that you know. I think the most important thing is to just read these verses. Again, that was uh 2 Corinthians 12, 7 through 10. Uh read that over and over and over again and know that you're not alone in your struggles, you're not alone in weaknesses that you might have. It could be addictions, it could be uh something physical, whatever it is. God is with you. God is with you.

SPEAKER_01 13:47

You know, and Paul talks about the fact that his power, that God's power is made perfect, not in our strength. I wish it said he's his power is made perfect in my strength. And it said, Yeah, go, God, give me the strength. Yeah. But it's it's in my weakness. That's that's when he shows up, and people get to see him, not Greg, not Brian. They get to see us as people who are who are broken and who are in desperate need of God's grace.

SPEAKER_00 14:15

And people can relate to, you know, it's interesting, Greg, and just a side note here when you write a good script, a good character in a movie or in a book, you show their weakness. And so right now, Hollywood is not doing that, and a lot of these movies are bombing, they're they're failing because they're not showing their characters go through the hard times and show exactly weakness to where they can come out strong, you know, through that weakness. Um, it's just interesting that how we're we're failing.

SPEAKER_01 14:48

And our greatest influence, they're probably missing the fact that it comes not from our greatest success, but from the places where God's grace has changed us in the midst of our brokenness. 100%. Just like those plates, they're valuable, not because they've never been broken, they're valuable because someone lovingly restored those pieces of pottery. Uh, and the same's true for us. Our hope isn't found in pretending we've never been broken. Our hope is found in the grace of God that restores broken people. Amen. Um, and so the people you lead, the people that you're connected to, they don't need another flawless manager or leader. If you're in that capacity, they need someone whose life quietly points them to the grace of God. And so this uh this week, look for opportunities to encourage someone by sharing a story of God's faithfulness in your own life. Maybe tell them about a challenge that changed you and how God met you in it. Um, because that's uh that is often a bridge to an even deeper conversation and transformation. Well, Brian, thanks for being willing to share a little bit about uh what's going on inside of the Herzog family, and we certainly want to continue to pray for your daughter and others that are uh struggling physically and emotionally and in in all kinds of ways, in order that God's grace is on display even in the midst of our weakness. So I thought uh, Brian, this week I wanted to pray for um just those of in our company who are who are leaders, uh, that God will give them opportunities to be authentic and give them opportunities to to be people where God's grace is on display and that they might have an opportunity to uh share some of the challenges that they are facing in order for people to be able to relate to them even better. So I will uh I'll have you do that, and I wanted to pray for your your family and other families that are going through similar things, if that's if that's okay. And uh, and I know that uh uh this morning we prayed for God's favor and clarity and wisdom in bidding on new work. We're always in need of of jobs in order that we have in order that we get paid. Um and so uh we're looking for new uh new work. We have lots of uh bids going out, and so pray that uh we'll have favor with uh with those bids. So uh we'll uh we'll pray for that uh as well today. Does that sound okay?

SPEAKER_00 17:36

Let's pray. Okay. Gracious God, we give you all the praise and glory this morning for who you are and how you work in our lives and just how you continue to bless us. And Father, you've you have blessed Merrill Brothers with great leaders. And so I'm th I just thank you for the leadership. I thank you for our executive team and our directors and managers and even those who are not in leadership positions who still lead by example. God, I thank you for uh their authenticity. I thank you for their integrity. I thank you for them just being real and having real conversations. Um it's pretty common that we could go walk into any office or see anyone out on the shop floor here and have a conversation with them and and they just ask, how how are you doing? How how's the family? Um they care, God. And I just so thankful for that. Thank you, God, that we have leadership here that really gets to the heart of each of their employees. And so thank you. I I just pray, God, that you would continue to just watch over the leadership here. God, protect them, give them wisdom and knowledge of of how to lead even better and how to grow this company. And uh God, I'm just so thankful that as Ted once said, that uh we're a praying company, uh, and we're not afraid to share that. And so I I'm just praying, God, that they would continue to take everything to you in prayer, all the decisions that are made, all the difficult situations that they may encounter with uh with me and another employees, God, that they're taking that in into prayer as well. And just God, we just love you and we just thank you for how you have blessed this company.

SPEAKER_01 19:37

Eternal God, we are just uh so thankful this morning that our hope isn't found in pretending that we've never been broken. Our hope is found in your grace that restores broken people. And I'm so grateful that in the midst of Paul's brokenness, he recognized that your power is made perfect, not in our strength, but in our weakness. And so thank you because it it points people not to us, but to you. And so pray for the families uh like Brian and others where where there are kids that are really struggling in their uh physical or emotional or um relational issues that uh aren't getting answers. And so we just pray for answers. We pray that your grace would be sufficient and your power would be made perfect in weakness. And so, however you want to do a miracle in the lives of the families who are going through difficulties uh with their kids, uh just like Brian and his wife, uh, we just depend on you and know that uh you will come through however you choose to do that. And we're uh we're so grateful for this country. We pray for wisdom for our leaders, especially our political leaders, as we make decisions that affect all the rest of the world and pray for peace in our war with Iran, that uh you would reign supreme and that there would be an end, and we can bring our troops back home safely, and that uh you would protect those who are serving on our behalf. So again, we're grateful for uh this company and thank you for the privilege of being a part of a podcast that is supported by a company that says uh we believe in our people and we want to do whatever it takes to help them thrive at work and in life. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Well, Brian, we've received uh some uh emails this uh week, uh, people asking us to pray. So if somebody uh uh wants to join in and say, hey, I would love for you to pray about you know what's going on in my life, how can they do that?

SPEAKER_00 21:45

Just go to Merrillbros.com, click on the prayer tab at the top of the page and fill out that little inquiry and it goes right to us. Yeah, we will definitely pray or respond. Yeah, uh yeah, keep them coming.

SPEAKER_01 21:56

Well, Brian, I hope you have a great day. Those of you that are listening uh have a great day as well. And thanks for joining us for Solid Start. Take care of yourself, take care of your team, and go make today a great one.