We live in a culture that promotes "self." Everything around us is constantly pointing us to put forward a better reflection of ourselves within the society at large. It's all about what you can do, and how good you can look doing it.
What a different approach Paul takes here in chapter 11. We might read of the sufferings he experienced and admire his faithfulness. But his opponents would have seen them as a sign of weakness and stupidity: he doesn't have enough sense to stay out of trouble. They boasted in their common sense and great knowledge; Paul would rather not boast at all. He says though, "If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness" (vs 30).
We will see in tomorrow's reading why Paul boasts in things which show his weaknesses (and it's not because he is mentally ill). For today, though, I'll just ask a couple questions:
What sort of things do you boast about? Are they tied to your strengths, or your weaknesses?
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