Don’t rue your weakness and consider it burdensome - it may be your greatest strength
September 28, 2026
I am lactose-resistant. So, no milk products, including Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate, which I love. To compensate, I nibble on dark chocolate. I am gluten- resistant. No wheat products, including fluffy Kerala parottas, buttery nans, and man’s greatest invention, sliced bread.
Spicy foods trigger acid reflux in me, scarring my throat and oesophagus, leading to cold, cough, fever, and sinusitis. No salty food to control my blood pressure. No sugary food. My palate rebels. No sweets; only boiled Kerala Nendran banana, rich in dietary fibre, vitamins (especially vitamin C and B-complex), and minerals like potassium, magnesium, and iron.
I am a picture of pity to those who live to eat. I eat to live to be alive.
I am not starving to death. Prophet Jeremiah would have, if not for Ebed-Melek, who interceded with the king and had Jeremiah lifted out of the cistern with ropes tied under his arm. Jeremiah was probably sent down naked into the cistern and must have been big-built.
They took Jeremiah and put him into Malkijah, the king’s son, cistern in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud. But Ebed-Melek, a Cushite, an official in the royal palace, heard they had put Jeremiah in the cistern. “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern; he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city.”
Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” So Ebed-Melek took the men and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern. Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, and they lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard. (Jer 38:6-13)
In Jeremiah’s weakness, Ebed-Melek’s Godly purpose was perfected.
I thank God for his small mercies. I weigh under 60 kgs and I am healthy. I am immunised by my diet from `cold, cough, fever, or attacks of sinusitis, which were rampant for a good part of my life, not to mention bronchitis, asthma and attendant ailments, until I was diagnosed with all these constraints that turned out for my good.
My teaching voice returned. I can address a class without a mic. I accompany the church choir in thanksgiving with resounding praises of Him who blessed me. As a metaphor, sugar is sin. Salt is preserved grievances. Spice is gossip - all abhorrent to God.
“When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue is also a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” (James 3: 3-6)
I praise God, for I am part sanctified by my constraints. The rest is a work in progress. We want to be Sylvester Stallone of Rocky Balboa fame, running up ‘The Steps’ of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the movie Rocky. Do we want Stallone’s difficult childhood, with abusive and neglectful parents, which motivated the tough-guy image Stallone showed to the world? The linguist Shashi Tharoor stammered, slurred, and mumbled, like Stallone, in childhood. He could not make friends. Books became his friends and grew his intellect and his commanding personality. “In my weakness, His strength is made perfect. (2 Cor 12:9).
My wife was telling me yesterday about the spiky green fruit with creamy white flesh that tastes like a blend of strawberry and pineapple with subtle sour citrus notes, a sapling of which she had salvaged from a park and planted in our garden: the soursop plant is now heaving under the abundance of its fertility, with every branch carrying a litter of the fruit.
Soursop, also known as graviola or guanabana. Looks intimidating with its thorny exterior, but inside it hides a treasure trove of exceptional health benefits:
It boosts the immune system; it is rich in antioxidants to combat free radicals; it may possess anti-cancer properties; it contains anti-inflammatory compounds; it supports digestive health; it regulates blood sugar levels; it promotes heart health; it may aid in pain relief; it is a potential drug for anti-bacterial and anti-parasitic effects; it supports healthy skin; it helps fight against stress and improves mood; it may assist in weight management; it is an excellent source of energy; it supports bone health; has the potential for liver protection; it combats insomnia and protects sleep; it may help treat cancer; also acts as a natural diuretic.
Some people are like the Soursop fruit. Thorny on the outside, soft and cuddly on the inside. To his detractors, Jeremiah was thorny on the outside. For God and his allies, Jeremiah was soft, caring, and faithful to his mission.
“I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable”, says the Lord (Jer 2:7). It was laid on Jeremiah’s broad shoulders to give the bad news about Babylonian exile to the people, for which he was punished most severely by the recalcitrant people … and sanctified.
- Mathew Anthony
