Those Pesky Thorns!

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “ My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 13:7-10

If you live in the southeastern Oklahoma, or close by, you know we’ve had an unusual Winter. All of our plants, weeds, and grass in our yard are close to having nervous breakdowns I’m sure by now. They must be struggling with the question of whether to die or to live! Our yard has taken an interesting turn during this “Spwinter”. We no longer have a yard of lush Bermuda, but we now have a yard of solid thorns! I’m telling you, you cannot take a step off our sidewalks bare-footed without getting one of those pesky suckers jammed in the bottom of your foot! The worse part is the kids will track them in the house, and the next thing I know I’m walking through the kitchen to make my morning bowl of cereal only to be “gently” awaken by a 1mm “torture device”. Anyhow, the point is thorns are pretty sorry.

Now obviously, Paul wasn’t speaking of these types of thorns in a literal sense in the passage above. No, I’m pretty certain he was talking about thorns that dig a little deeper, stay around a little longer, and puncture the soul rather than the body. Have you ever thought about all the thorns of life? Wonderful are they not? Sometimes we hit the ruts throughout our days on this earth, whether it be financial hardships, marital problems, family problems, disgruntled co-workers, tornados, floods, hurricanes, house fires, job losses, cancers and other diseases, or even the losses of those we love dearly. Thorns, each of us have them, and no two are the same. However, how we react to them can be the same. What if we reacted to our “thorns” as Paul reacted to his? I’m not talking simply about praying for God to remove them, but what if at a point we accepted them? This is a new question that I myself am even dealing with as I write this tonight. Can I accept the “thorns” that have been given to me? I’ve prayed once, twice, and countless times more, but the fact is some “thorns” are just going to be “thorns”. At some point, and I’m still climbing this hill (and I know I’m not the only one, so listen up) we have to hear God’s plea to us. “Jake, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Go ahead, take away my name, and place in your own. The truth we must accept is no matter the size of the “thorn”, our God is mightier. Our God is more powerful. Our God is love, and we are His children. Oh how hard it is for me to say this next line, but I have to learn it, you have to learn it, God wants us to understand it. “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Please stop and absorb that statement for just a moment… It hurts doesn’t it. When I lose my job, I want to be strong. When my marriage is falling apart, I want to be strong. When I’ve lost all my close belongings, I want to be strong, when I learn I have a health issue that will change the rest of my life, I want to be strong, when I hear I’ve lost my mother, father, brother, sister, I want to be strong. However, God wants us to be weak, for He is strong, and His grace is sufficient for each of us.

God, with tears in our eyes, and humble hearts, help us to accept our weaknesses knowing that through them your strength prevails. Help us to understand your grace is sufficient for us. Not only that, but allow us to comfortably and willingly boast in those weaknesses, so the power of Christ may rest upon us! I love you Father. Amen.

~Jake