Weakness, friend or foe?

I began reading Helen Roseveare's autobiography, "Give Me This Mountain." I have not yet read this book of Helen Roseveare's but the others that I have read are two of my favorite books ("Living Sacrifice" and Living Faith"). I think this book I am reading currently was the first she wrote. Anyway, she was a missionary doctor to Congo during the 1950s and 60s. Her accounts are the real nitty gritty of missions. She expresses with truth and sincerity her deepest hurts, sin and how God used her and most importantly molded her more into His image. Anyway, following is a quote from her book that really resonated in my heart.

"Of course, I never can be holy! How simple, when one realizes that the Lord knows me as I am in all my weakness, loves me, and waits to impart Himself, His own holiness, His life, living in me.
Each conviction of sin was good in that so far as it led me to trust the only One who can deal with sin.
...The Lord allowed a growing realization of failure in each of the different realms mentioned, in order that He Himself might fill the vacuum. He longed that I would become more preoccupied with Him and less with myself." (page 57)

Failure and weakness are not usually traits we celebrate as Americans NOR as Christians. From my experience (limited as it is) most Christians want to portray a perfect image that they have it together and all is well in the world. The past several years (since college) I am learning from our gracious Lord that weakness is ok. He uses the weak things to bring glory to Himself. And a recent realization for me is that God uses the weak and humble to win others for Himself. What I mean by that is for the longest time when I would be around non-Christians I would try to put on that fascade that I had it all together so that I wouldn't cause them to stumble, etc. What I am learning now is that being humble, honest and real with non-Christians is a more effective way of winning them to Christ than pretending all is well with me because I am a Christian and pretending because I am a Christian I NEVER struggle with sin, etc. Of course this all stems from the sins of pride and self-righteousness in my heart. My prayer has been that I would be humble enough to know and see my weaknesses and istead of trying to cover them up as I would like to, to let God work (we know HE sees them and we can't hide from Him) and move and transform me into His image. And like Helen Roseveare (and many others in church history) allow myself to be "more preoccupied with God Himself and less with myself." Not an easy feat when you are a sinful human full of sinful pride and self-righteousness..only God can do this work in my life.