Strength vs. weakness

If you want God to put a giant magnifying glass on all your weaknesses, then I recommend going to another country for an extended period of time. I prefer keeping up pretenses and having people think that I have my act together and that I can handle anything thrown my way. =) God says that "My power is perfected in your weakness." In the safety of my life in America, I don't think that I saw that all that often. Right now I feel a little exposed. I am learning a lot about my fears. I am afraid of being a failure. I am afraid of disappointing others. I am afraid of people thinking that I am not good enough. I am afraid of being weak. I am afraid of not being the strong one. I am afraid of being alone. I am afraid of being ordinary. I am afraid of my life not making an impact. These are just a few of them. I think that I might have lived my life in such a way as to avoid having to face those fears. Now, I have come face to face with those ugly monsters that have haunted me. Yesterday, I just broke down and cried and cried like I have not cried in a long time. I am still in process but I am definitely learning a lot. I have heard a million times that my worth is not based on my performance but on who I am in Christ. In all honesty, I don't think I really believed it. I am starting to. God is Love and His love is infinite, deep, powerful, and REAL! It really is real. He is real. He is not just some bed time story that we tell ourselves to make us feel warm and fuzzy. He is not something that we created to make life easier. God is the Creator of the universe. He created me. I am his workmanship. I belong to Him. He delights in me. I have heard all of this before but it is all starting to penetrate a little bit more. God's grace is sufficient. I think I just need to be reminding of God's truth over and over. It is not only okay to be weak and broken before the Lord but that is how He prefers it.