Introduction
We all ask the simple question – why do I struggle?
Some struggle more, some struggle less, all struggle more or less.
One-liners like this seem trite to me, but in this case, it reminds me that I will struggle at different times during my life. Struggles and difficulties are part of life. It is a part of life I do not like, but my struggles and difficulties cause me to grow. How I grow in my faith can be directly linked to how I handle the challenges I encounter.
Bible Verses
7 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.
13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, 14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.
Why Do I Struggle?
I think we all want to know why we struggle with life. Sometimes it is an illness. Maybe it is a broken relationship. Or is it a sin that feels like we will never beat? We all ask why. In these verses, Paul provides a glance into why we struggle. He calls it a “…thorn…in the flesh…”. If you are struggling today, then you need to evaluate your life. Spend some time in introspection. Ask God why you are struggling. Ask Him to show you your thorn in the flesh. Rather than fight it, we need to learn how to embrace it. We need to learn how to take the thorn in the flesh that God has blessed us with and allow Him to turn it for good in our life.
Satan wins when lifes challenges master me. That is not pleasing to God.
What is a Thorn in the Flesh?
All we know about Paul’s thorn in the flesh is that it was some type of bodily ailment. His body, in some capacity, was working against him. Under his own power, Paul really had no way of handling that ailment on his own. But through his relationship with God, he was able to turn what Satan intended to separate him from God, into something that fueled him. He understood that he could not do life on his own terms and that he had a deep need for God to keep moving forward. Paul’s ailment provided him what he needed to put his trust in God and not in himself.
To properly serve God, we must be humble. Paul’s ailment kept him humble.
Is There a Benefit?
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:7 that God did not just allow him to have a thorn in his flesh, but God gave it to him. The thorn with which Paul struggled was a message from Satan. It was meant to harass him. I think it is critical to look at the word “gave”. When is the last time that I looked at a thorn in the flesh and was grateful for that thorn? Paul understood that God gave him that thorn to remind him of his need for God. He says that this was to “…keep me from becoming conceited…”.
When athletes train their bodies there is pain. That pain is short-lived. They wake up sore the next day. But when an athlete persists in training, their body becomes stronger. Why do we think spiritual training should be any different? There will be pain as we train spiritually. We go through tough times and have physical and mental challenges. But if we are willing to allow ourselves to be trained by those challenges, we will be much stronger spiritually down the road.
How Did Paul’s Thorn Help Him?
Paul was extremely humble. Like me (and each of us), Paul had checkered spots in his past. He persecuted Christians for their faith until he had his own conversion experience. People were terrified of who Paul had been. Left to his own devices, no one would have ever listened to Paul because of his past. However, God used Paul’s past to define his future. God did not give up on Paul. Quite the contrary. After his conversion, Paul became a warrior for the gospel. Paul, who had once been the persecutor, became one of the persecuted. He could identify with the people to whom he ministered because he understood what God had done for him.
What is My Thorn?
Humility is not a character trait that comes naturally. It is a character quality that we develop when we become aware of what God had done for us. For me, I had to take time to really reflect on my past and come to a complete understanding of who I was. Before I became a Christian, I was not a nice person. I did so many things and hurt so many people. All I wanted to do for a long time was take it all back. But then I became a Christian and I put everything I had into becoming the best Christian I could possibly be. I had a long list of accomplishments, for all of which I took personal credit.
Why Do I Have This Thorn?
In the world in which we live it is easy to become self-reliant. We can always figure out how to make more money, find a new job, find a new house. Paul tells us that struggles have a place in life. When I struggle with a situation or a particular sin, God is reminding me that I cannot do life alone. I cannot fix the brokenness inside of me on my own. I need help. The thorns that are part of me are there to remind me that I need to depend on God daily, hour by hour, minute by minute. The thorns I have are blessings, they remind me that God can do for me what I cannot do for myself.
Application
I need to allow God to use my thorns and weaknesses to train me spiritually. Growth comes through experiencing the pains of life and allowing God to carry me through those times. It is so easy to look back on my past and be defeated by who I once was. The key to success in the spiritual life is not to allow Satan to use my past to drag me down. Rather, I need to allow God to use my past to define my future.
My past does not define me. My past defines who I am becoming.
