I have what Paul called a "thorn in the flesh." It afflicts my body, it affects my mind, it hurts. I've been living with it for 10 years and I cannot number for you the times that I have wished/prayed/willed that it go away.
"To keep me from becoming conceited . . . there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. . . . I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me." 2Cor 12:7,8
Yet in these last few weeks I have realized as never before that the thorn, though it hurts, is a gift. God has surprised me with profound blessings in the suffering. I recognize now that through the pain Christ has taught me submission and reverence; He has demonstrated His power to heal and to save; He has chipped away at my self-interest; He has caused me to seek after His glory; He has taught me to trust Him through darkness; He has kept me weak and depending upon Him.
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' There fore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses . . . . For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2Cor 12:9,10
4 comments:
Ah. Timely wisdom for my life, as usual. Thank you, yet again.
My life is so blessed that I tend to forget God... thats not God's fault, its mine. I'm thankful for the blessing, but it tends to be a tranquilizer. I don't look forward to painful experiences, but when they come, I hope I can see the blessing as you have.
It takes some surrendering of the will to identify with this verse, but in the end, it also comes with an awesome reward.
it can be so painful to not be perfect, and to not be able to become perfect by our own strength...
i want to deserve God's blessings so much, but i never do, and never will.
yet God still blesses me
Post a Comment
Comments? Tell me what you think.