Embrace your thorns.

 2 Corinthians 12:7 "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given to me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it from me.  9 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. “.  Do you ever feel like you have a thorn in your flesh?   Do you feel like you are tormented by a sin that you can’t shake?   Do you ever have destructive thought patterns and pray they would go away , but they raise their ugly heads over  and over again?   I struggle with these types of things.  I am thankful for Paul’s thorn in his flesh. It makes me understand there is a reason for the thorn in mine.   In the song, “Yes, Jesus loves me”.  The lyrics say, “ They are weak but He is strong! Yes, Jesus loves me !”   We are not perfect, we all struggle with something.   We are weak but He is strong!!   His grace is sufficient for us.  Our weakness is made perfect in His power.  Today, instead of looking at the thorn in our flesh let's look to the hope we have in Jesus even if He never takes away the thorn.

Some of the thorns I've been given have lead to some of the most amazing gifts God can give.    An example of this is; I have the thorn of alcoholism.  Because of it, I realized my need for a Savior.    I needed to rely on His strength not my own.  I'm very thankful for that, I am not sure I would have been able to be humble enough to let Jesus be my Lord, if I didn't have it.   Be inspired to praise God for your thorns and let His grace be sufficient!! Let His strength be made perfect in your weakness!