Thorns hurt. Have you ever had a thorn in your finger? It is normally hard to get out and bleeds as well as bruises. As a single adult and as a Christian, you have a thorn in your side, all of us do. You may not know what it is yet, but there is something you wish you never had to deal with or had thoughts of. It could be a physical ailment, an addiction, sinful thoughts, still being single, being single again or anything else that makes you cry out to God to have ____ removed from your life. Paul shared this pain with you.
In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Paul is talking about how he has something in his life that keeps him in some type of hardship. So much so that he cried out to God three times for it to be taken from him, and it never was. God heard Paul and simply replied “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Then it clicked for Paul, he would boast in his weakness so that the Lord may be glorified! So he makes a stand that going forward he will delight in his weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties because when he is weak then he truly strong.
If only all of us had the mindset that in our weakness we are strong, that our thorn is our strength not our excuse. People ask for more money, power, job positions all because it seems too hard to serve God where they are at. But where God has you is right where He wants you and that thorn is your strength. Do not hide to the world around you your pain and hardships. It is those situations that make you human and connect you to others in order to share the Gospel. You’re not a perfect Christian, so stop trying to be and be real about your pain, but in being real remember that your source of strength comes from the Lord. Share that along with your pain and you will Christ glorified because of your thorn.
