Today’s Jewel:
Thorns and Thistles
Treasure Map Coordinates:
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
After a recent move, I did little to make our townhouse feel like home. I didn’t see the need in unpacking everything, knowing I’d be boxing it all up again in just a few short months. I made only one intentional purchase to make our home a little more, well…homey.
Searching through my options at a local discount store, one particular item caught my eye. Holding it up for Hubs to see, I announced, “This is the one!” I was confident the splash of color would give life to an otherwise drab setting. With a little bit of pride, I placed the welcome mat at our front door.
While our welcome mat expresses the sentiment that folks are welcome, I’ve come to realize this is not entirely true.
Unless they are cute little girls with pigtails selling Girl Scout cookies, I don’t open the door to salespeople. I don’t welcome the 5am doorbell prank from wayward adolescents. And porch pirates? They can consider themselves uninvited as well.
Clearly, not everyone is truly welcome to our front porch or home.
Likewise, pain and discomfort of any kind is unwelcome in my life. My flesh craves comfort. I embrace security, stability, routine, order and familiarity. Anything outside of these boundary lines causes my blood pressure to rise. I accept suffering, chaos and change about as well as my children accept vegetables at the dinner table.
Like you, I do not choose paths of suffering or discomfort. I don’t seek out unpleasant circumstances. I don’t willingly engage in uncomfortable situations. When I do find myself experiencing any kind of pain, I want to be rid of it. During extended times of suffering, I wonder how long my difficult season will last.
I’m not so different from the apostle Paul. Neither are you.
He didn’t go in search of torment. He didn’t ask for a season of adversity. Yet the apostle Paul was given a “thorn in [his] flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7).
While there is great debate over the nature of this “thorn,” we do know it was a source of great torment for Paul. We also know Paul wanted to be free of his pain. On three separate occasions, he begged and pleaded with the Lord to remove the source of his anguish and distress.
Imagine how crushed Paul must have been to hear God’s response: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Oh, Paul heard the message loud and clear: Metaphorical surgery wasn’t an option. You can almost see tears streaming down the apostle’s rugged face as he hung his head in defeat. He had no other choice but to reconcile himself to ongoing agony.
While the thorn would remain, his attitude toward it changed. Perhaps it took a few moments, hours or even days, but soon the lightbulb above Paul’s head started glowing. His eyes widened with understanding and his spirit was visibly encouraged. Suddenly, he had a new perspective on suffering. Paul no longer desired the thorn to be removed, for it ushered in something even greater.
God offered his grace and power to Paul in the midst of his suffering.
I believe it was with great joy and excitement the apostle declared, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Paul moved from, “God, please remove this thorn!” to, “God, I delight in my weakness!” The same man who begged and pleaded with God to take away the agent of his suffering now welcomed his thorn.
Paul actually threw out a welcome mat for his weaknesses, persecutions, difficulties and hardships!
What shifted? How did the apostle change his mindset so dramatically? He accepted a reality I want to ignore; a reality to which I don’t want to throw out the welcome mat: The seasons of adversity and suffering allow me to experience the grace and power of God more keenly.
The setting makes all the difference. Place me in a well-lit room and I’m content. When the storm hits and the electricity goes out, I am suddenly looking for a light source.
This example is true both in the physical realm and in the Christian life. It is in the potholes, the brokenness and darkness of life when I am more intentional about seeking light and purpose. In my desperation, I see the character of God more distinctly and experience him more completely.
Realizing this truth, Paul welcomes what we want to throw to the curb—weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and difficulties. He chose weakness because it was an opportunity for the power of God to rest on him. Essentially, Paul desired the power of Christ more than comfort in life.
How thrilling to personally experience the power of God! The prerequisite, though, is often an acceptance of difficulty. Discomfort. Pain. Anguish. Loss. Emptiness. Persecution.
If we will welcome the pain, God promises an abundant supply of his grace and power to help us endure.
For Reflection
① Think of a time (maybe even now) when you experienced a prolonged season of pain. Identify specific ways you saw God’s grace and power sustain you.
② Is there an uncomfortable situation you are avoiding? If you move into that space—welcoming discomfort—how might God get the glory?
Bury that Treasure!
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).