What comes to mind when you hear the word bulletproof?

For many of us, the word bulletproof elicits thoughts of strength or invincibility; the very word itself means to be protected from bullets. When we hear words like bulletproof, we may think of any equipment or people (i.e., The Rock) that aptly define the word. In most cases, we attribute unlimited strength and immunity to being bulletproof. For us, a bulletproof character or thing has very little to no weakness; if they did, they would not be truly bulletproof. This is why, more often than not, bulletproof characters or people tend to be stoic. Think of Batman. Think of the Incredible Hulk. Think of Contra. If the Hulk cried every time an innocent person was killed or the Contra men showed fear before battling aliens, do you think they would still be seen as bulletproof? Probably not.

For many of us, if we saw emotion or weakness in bulletproof characters, we would condemn them as weak, perhaps unstable. We would doubt their ability to save or their ability to be strong. True, they would be more human. True, we would relate to their limitations and their finite abilities. But would we still admire them? Would we still idolize them as superheroes or superhuman? Would they truly be...bulletproof?

But, before anyone is bulletproof, they must have bullet proof.

So what does it mean to have 'bullet proof'? Well, beside being an obvious play on words, having 'bullet proof' means being able to have proof of bullets. This, of course, means being able to show your weaknesses and your faults. Nothing speaks courage or braveness than a bullet-riddled soldier. Yes, they went down in battle. Yes, they have wounds and scars from combat. But their wounds and their scars show their will to fight and the courage to do so. It is the torn-up, bullet-riddled soldiers that receive the most honor on the battlefield, for they went down trying to fight. These soldiers are the ones who are seen as strong, noble, and even bulletproof.

Similarly, the scars and wounds we carry are all the more signs of our courage. Yes, it may seem as if I am being sentimental or corny, but this truth is also biblical in nature. The apostle Paul speaks on the matter of being strong while weak. In his second letter to the church in Corinth, Paul writes:

"By reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted excessively, a thorn in the flesh was given to me: a messenger of Satan to torment me, that I should not be exalted excessively. Concerning this thing, I begged the Lord three times that it might depart from me. He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me" (2 Corinthians 12:7-9, WEB).

In this section of his letter, Paul admits weakness, which is hard especially considering Paul's position. Paul was a church leader, planter, evangelist, and sage. Paul was revered by those he taught, so much so that in one instance, he was mistaken as the god Mercury by Gentiles (cf. Acts 14:12). Paul was trained under the Pharisee Gamliel and was an excellent orator/apologist (cf. Acts 17; 19:9). For Paul to admit to the Corinthians that he even had a "thorn in the flesh" was inconceivable, if not bad PR. Especially in the honor-shame, boastful, perfectionist, dog-eat-dog society of Paul's time, admitting weakness was severely discouraged. Only a fool or a weakling would admit their weaknesses.

But Paul does so anyway, and thus shows his bullet proof.

As Paul writes, he asked God to remove this thorn, this "messenger of Satan," from him. Not once. Not twice. But three -- count 'em -- three times. Now, Paul does not specify what his 'thorn' is. What Paul does, though, is admit that he has a weakness. Even for us today, it can be difficult to admit our weaknesses, let alone our failures. But Paul does not just mention his weakness; he also mentions his efforts to bring this thorn before the Lord. Paul models for us what we must do as Christians: give them to God. Not only does Paul present his bullet proof to others, but he also presents it to God and asks for His healing.

But what if the weakness still stays? That is exactly what happened to Paul -- his weakness still stayed with him. Does that mean that Paul's faith was weak? Does this mean that God failed? Not at all! What Paul hears from Jesus is this: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Jesus understands our frailty and limitations as humans. He knows our weaknesses and what causes us to be weak. He knows all our thought patterns, behaviors, and triggers that cause us to stumble, falter, or run out of steam. He knows the limit to how much we can carry. He knows we will never be strong enough, never be perfect enough, never be smart enough, never be pure enough, never be brave enough, never be calm enough, never be tough enough, never be enough. But, Jesus has an infinite amount of grace for our flaws and failures. He knows we will never be enough, but that does not stop Him from loving us all the more.

What's more, Jesus' saving power is made perfect in our weakness.

As we celebrated on Easter weekend, Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection is evidence of His love for us and His power over death. Jesus has the final say over all and carries all authority. Jesus' resurrection also signifies the ongoing covenant of salvation and the complete forgiveness of sins, which was started on the Cross and completed with the empty tomb. His scarred hands and feet serve as reminders of how He took on our scars. But, as the Risen King, Jesus won over those scars. Paul recognizes that Jesus' salvific power is perfected in his weaknesses. That is why Paul would rather glory in weakness, because he knows the saving power of Jesus.

We are weak, but He is strong. And it is because of Jesus that we can show our bullets, our bullet proof. Knowing God is on our side, we can safely acknowledge and admit our pride, envy, anxiety, or struggles. Myself, I struggle with anxiety over the future. I sometimes wrestle with envy or pessimism. But it is through our admission of weakness that we become bulletproof. No, it is not because of our strength, but because of Jesus, who paid for our sins on the cross and cares for our weaknesses.

I would like to end this blog post with an analogy. Recently, I had the opportunity to see the new Super Mario Bros movie. It was really good, but one scene captured my eye in particular. Mario, who has been generally looked down upon by his peers and family, is pummeled by the villain Bowser. Sitting in a corner and hiding from Bowser, Mario finds himself discouraged. He will never be a hero. But just then, Mario musters up the courage to fight and save his town from Bowser. Bruised and battered, Mario walks over to Bowser and begins to fight yet again. In this moment, Mario does not care about his weakness; instead, he cares about saving the people he loves. A similar principle applies to us Christians. We may be pummeled, bruised, and scarred by life. We may struggle with weaknesses of all kinds. But the one thing that makes us bulletproof is who we are in Christ. And in our weaknesses, in our bullet proof, we become bulletproof.