--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Weakness is hard, but it doesn't have to…" description: "\"Weakness is hard, but it doesn't have to mean defeat. It's our opportunity to experience God's power firsthand.\" — Lysa TerKeurst" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/lysa-terkeurst-1076_defeat_weakness-is-hard-but-it-doesn-t-have-to_2433712.png" --- # Weakness is hard, but it doesn't have to mean defeat. It's… ![“Weakness is hard, but it doesn't have to mean defeat. It's our opportunity to experience God's power firsthand.” quote by Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/lysa-terkeurst-1076_defeat_weakness-is-hard-but-it-doesn-t-have-to_2433712.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/lysa-terkeurst-1076_defeat_weakness-is-hard-but-it-doesn-t-have-to_2433712.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f78/lysa-terkeurst-1076_defeat_weakness-is-hard-but-it-doesn-t-have-to_2433712.png) > “Weakness is hard, but it doesn't have to mean defeat. It's our opportunity to experience God's power firsthand.” [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Weakness reveals a chance to rely on divine strength, turning vulnerability into spiritual growth. **In simple terms:** Hard times can lead to God's power. Key Takeaway Seek strength in weakness. Themes faith resilience spirituality Mood hopeful reflective Type inspirational spiritual When to use this quote - overcoming illness - facing failure - seeking guidance - personal crisis Key Concepts theology personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What can your weakness teach you about faith? - How do you invite divine help? A Different Perspective It may be hard to see power in pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Defeat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeat/) [Defeat Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeat-opportunity-312584/) [Experience God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-god/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [God Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-power/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Weakness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weakness/) [Weakness Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weakness-hard-312582/) ## Related quotes > [Only fear God Know the weapons of the weak The weakness of the hard And never fall asleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/only-fear-god-know-the-weapons-of-the-weak-the-weakness-of-the-hard/) [Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/) > [I experience God as the power of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-experience-god-as-the-power-of-love/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [I think I can tell you how I experience God. I experience God as the power of life calling me to live, I experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-think-i-can-tell-you-how-i-experience-god-i-experience-god-as-the/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [I experience God as the power of life, the power of love and the ground of being. I don't say that's what God is;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-experience-god-as-the-power-of-life-the-power-of-love-and-the/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [“growing closer to God has a whole lot less to do with any action we might take and a whole lot more to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/growing-closer-to-god-has-a-whole-lot-less-to-do-with-any-action-we/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [I know deep hurt. But I also know deep hope. Sometimes God's power is shown as much in preventing things as it is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/i-know-deep-hurt-but-i-also-know-deep-hope-sometimes-god-s-power-is/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [Life as a Christ follower will always be a learning process of depending less on our own strength and more on God's power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/life-as-a-christ-follower-will-always-be-a-learning-process-of/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [To me, bitterness is the under-arm odor of wishful weakness. It is the graceless acknowledgment of defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/to-me-bitterness-is-the-under-arm-odor-of-wishful-weakness-it-is-the/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [Just because you cry doesn't mean you are weak, it's one way your heart expresses itself through your eyes. Just because you give up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-nathaniel-butler/just-because-you-cry-doesn-t-mean-you-are-weak-it-s-one-way-your/) [Eugene Nathaniel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-nathaniel-butler/) > [There were various aspects of Sun Tzu's approach that appealed to Ho Chi Minh: a) to learn to understand both the enemy and yourself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-duiker/there-were-various-aspects-of-sun-tzu-s-approach-that-appealed-to-ho/) [William J. Duiker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-duiker/) > [The blog is meant to be a bit of a side chapel - a place to slip into and still and encounter the glory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-blog-is-meant-to-be-a-bit-of-a-side-chapel-a-place-to-slip-into/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [“Take a pinch of belief in God, add a dash of desire to experience God, stir in emotion to taste, and you have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-sinnott-armstrong/take-a-pinch-of-belief-in-god-add-a-dash-of-desire-to-experience-god/) [Walter Sinnott-Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-sinnott-armstrong/) > [I can tell you from experience that God's help and presence in our lives is vital. He is the Author of all true success…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/i-can-tell-you-from-experience-that-god-s-help-and-presence-in-our/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“It is not objective proof of God’s existence that we want but the experience of God’s presence. That is the miracle we are really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/it-is-not-objective-proof-of-god-s-existence-that-we-want-but-the/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“I want to have a lasting experience of God', I told him. 'Sometimes I feel like I understand the divinity of this world, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-want-to-have-a-lasting-experience-of-god-i-told-him-sometimes-i/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) ## More by Lysa TerKeurst > [A woman who is careful with her words is a gift to all who know her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/a-woman-who-is-careful-with-her-words-is-a-gift-to-all-who-know-her/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [A woman who lives with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule will often ache with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/a-woman-who-lives-with-the-stress-of-an-overwhelmed-schedule-will/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [When we have the same thought again, the line of the original thought is deepened, causing what's called a memory trace. With each repetition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/when-we-have-the-same-thought-again-the-line-of-the-original-thought/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“We must not confuse the command to love with the disease to please.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/we-must-not-confuse-the-command-to-love-with-the-disease-to-please/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [The decisions we make dictate the schedules we keep. The schedules we keep determine the lives we live. The lives we live determine how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/the-decisions-we-make-dictate-the-schedules-we-keep-the-schedules-we/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“It is good to be honest with God, but we must be careful that we don’t become whiners. There is nothing that aggravates my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/it-is-good-to-be-honest-with-god-but-we-must-be-careful-that-we-don-t/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [Jesus, I don't want to be a secret keeper with my faith. I want to be a bold and gracious truth proclaimer. For You.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/jesus-i-don-t-want-to-be-a-secret-keeper-with-my-faith-i-want-to-be-a/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to your goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/make-every-effort-to-add-to-your-faith-goodness-and-to-your-goodness/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [You've never gone too far that God can't redeem you, restore you, forgive you, and give you a second chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/you-ve-never-gone-too-far-that-god-can-t-redeem-you-restore-you/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“What happened yesterday can’t be changed, but it can be forgiven. That’s your miracle in the mess. The voices of condemnation, shame, and rejection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/what-happened-yesterday-can-t-be-changed-but-it-can-be-forgiven-that/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“I have discovered that if I can change the way I think about something, I can change the way I react to it. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/i-have-discovered-that-if-i-can-change-the-way-i-think-about/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [Whenever an opportunity comes your way, challenge yourself to first thank God and then quickly follow up with the question, “God, who else is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/whenever-an-opportunity-comes-your-way-challenge-yourself-to-first/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“What happens when you delete “com” from the word compromise? You’re left with a “promise.” We were made for more than compromise. We were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/what-happens-when-you-delete-com-from-the-word-compromise-you-re-left/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“I had allowed to settle into the core of who I am. I talked about myself in ways I would never let another person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/i-had-allowed-to-settle-into-the-core-of-who-i-am-i-talked-about/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“When I don’t have peace physically, I don’t have peace spiritually. I can’t separate the two. Nor should I.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/when-i-don-t-have-peace-physically-i-don-t-have-peace-spiritually-i/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) [Explore all 293 Lysa TerKeurst quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) ## More Defeat quotes > [A poor self-image is the magnifying glass that can transform a trivial mistake or an imperfection into an overwhelming symbol of personal defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/a-poor-self-image-is-the-magnifying-glass-that-can-transform-a/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) > [Even though you can't expect to defeat the absurdity of the world, you must make that attempt. That's morality, that's religion. That's art. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/even-though-you-can-t-expect-to-defeat-the-absurdity-of-the-world-you/) [Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/) > [The devil has been defeated, stop trying to defeat him. What we have left is the fight of faith, and it's a good fight!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-oyakhilome/the-devil-has-been-defeated-stop-trying-to-defeat-him-what-we-have/) [Chris Oyakhilome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-oyakhilome/) > [If Pete’s (Sampras) child is a girl, my son will like her; if he’s a boy, my son will defeat him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-agassi/if-pete-s-sampras-child-is-a-girl-my-son-will-like-her-if-he-s-a-boy/) [Andre Agassi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-agassi/) > [All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/all-our-efforts-to-defeat-poverty-and-pursue-sustainable-development/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Defeat furnishes good material to the poets and the artists, but none of us care to have the glory of the conquered apply to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-glaspell/defeat-furnishes-good-material-to-the-poets-and-the-artists-but-none/) [Susan Glaspell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-glaspell/) > [“We don't have to defeat any individual but our own self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avijeet-das/we-don-t-have-to-defeat-any-individual-but-our-own-self/) [Avijeet Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avijeet-das/) > [“Defeat is a disease, and victory is the cure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/defeat-is-a-disease-and-victory-is-the-cure/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The glow of victory and the harsh chill of defeat are two sides of the same coin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-lenartowicz/the-glow-of-victory-and-the-harsh-chill-of-defeat-are-two-sides-of/) [Maria Lenartowicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-lenartowicz/) > [After a big defeat, any player feels affected - it is about how long he needs to recover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerardo-martino/after-a-big-defeat-any-player-feels-affected-it-is-about-how-long-he/) [Gerardo Martino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerardo-martino/) > [I have clearly said we faced terrorist enemies who use Islam to justify slaughtering innocent people and we have to stop them and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-have-clearly-said-we-faced-terrorist-enemies-who-use-islam-to/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [We know from this book entitled... What is it? Surrendered? Succumbed? I can never remember the title perform. And we learn from this book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-know-from-this-book-entitled-what-is-it-surrendered-succumbed-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gichin-funakoshi/the-ultimate-aim-of-karate-lies-not-in-victory-or-defeat-but-in-the/) [Gichin Funakoshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gichin-funakoshi/) > [It has never been more critical that a leader step forward to accelerate our understanding of cancer - and champion the effort to finally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-j-dzau/it-has-never-been-more-critical-that-a-leader-step-forward-to/) [Victor J. Dzau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-j-dzau/) > [“It would seem no matter how progressive we get there are always those few who are backwards in their ways.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solange-nicole/it-would-seem-no-matter-how-progressive-we-get-there-are-always-those/) [Solange nicole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solange-nicole/) [Browse all 2,603 Defeat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeat/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Weakness is hard, but it doesn't have to mean defeat. 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