Are you a weakling? If so, admit. I was.

On my journey I rub shoulders with a bodybuilder type of guy with a freshly stamped tattoo draping half of his torso. It boldly states, “Only the strong will survive.”

The message he is broadcasting appears to be brut-strength. I think the bold letters imprinted on his body are not there to represent this man’s well-stacked bulging muscles but to remind himself of his own mental-toughness and strength.

This young gentleman is in the early stages of divorce and his new tattoo serves as daily affirmation to himself of his inner- driven strength and strong resolve. This daily reminder suggests an attempt to self-propel oneself through a difficult and painful time.

We men have a tendency to think we are strong. Believe me when I tell you this. I know an individual that regretfully sports a Superman logo on his chest. Our society and upbringing rightfully teaches us as men, we are to be strong, and instinctively we desire strength both physically and mentally. We need it and will go to great lengths to secure it.

The problem with self-taught mental strength is it carries within itself limitations and can fade as fast as a cheap bootlegged tee-shirt bought outside a late-night concert venue. We all have our limits even if we perceive ourselves as Charles Atlas, yet strength is vital for us to exist peacefully on this planet.

Will the strong survive? Yes, but first they must become weak. In weakness there is true strength because that is when power is given to us.

When you are weak and surrender fully to the Lord Jesus Christ, He will pick you up and carry you. Being carried by God Himself gives strength that no man can match regardless of what we tell ourselves and how much inner-strength we try to bolster when emotional strength is needed.

God promises He will make the weak strong. Nowhere does He make a promise that He will make “the strong” strong. The promise is in writing at Isaiah 40:29, “He gives power to the weak, and to those that have no might He increases strength.”

I am living proof when manly strength fails and weakness abounds, God’s strength storms in if you wait for it. He only gives this supernatural-strength to those that surrender to Him and admit they can not do it on their own.

All pride must be swallowed to access this great strength that is available to all of us. No guy likes to admit he can not do it on his own but there is great reward in asking for this strength to come from God.

In my weakness I was found and rescued by Jesus Christ. Today, I walk taller with my head held higher than I have ever carried it before. I have true strength today because Christ strengthens me and not because of any mental toughness I may have garnered up through determined teeth-clenching.

God gives us strength when we rely on Him for it. He gave and continues to give me strength that carried me to where I am today. This freely given strength lifted me through the pain of divorce, financial loss, hurts, and other broken relationships.

One must admit weakness in order to be strong. It’s like that Top-40 hit song from 1979, “You have to be cruel to be kind.” Well…the song that needs to be written today is “You have to be weak to be strong.”

True strength comes from God, not an attitude despite what the best-selling self-improvement books teach us.

Are you in need of strength today? Are you more apt to find it in the sweaty gym or in your own soul and heart when you allow God to infiltrate your inner-being and take up residency in your heart.

When you are ready to find genuine strength, be weak first and thank God for allowing you to be weak for He gives power to the weak.

“You have to be weak to be strong.” I can hear it on the upcoming charts. Are you listening?