As I was reading my devotional this morning, my thoughts turned to something the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:7.
Paul spoke of a thorn in his flesh, something that tormented him, something he pleaded with God to take away. Scripture never tells us exactly what that thorn was. Perhaps that was intentional, because it allows each of us to recognize the thorns in our own lives.
Over the years, this passage has helped me face many of my own weaknesses and struggles.
We all have thorns.
For some, it is alcohol. For others, drugs, sexual temptation, struggles with identity, pride, anger, jealousy, or any number of things that weigh heavily on the heart. Some wrestle with desires they believe conflict with their faith. Others carry wounds from their past, emotional pain, or habits they desperately want to overcome.
The list is endless, and the struggles are deeply personal.
But here is what I have come to understand: Sometimes God allows us to experience our weakness so that we might discover the fullness of His strength.
Paul asked God three times to remove his thorn. Yet God's answer was not what Paul expected.
"My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." — 2 Corinthians 12:9 (KJV)
Think about that for a moment.
God didn't promise Paul that the struggle would disappear. He promised that His grace would be enough.
How often do we pray for God to remove something from our lives when perhaps He is inviting us to lean more deeply into Him?
I've learned that there are things I simply cannot overcome through willpower alone. I've tried. I've stumbled. I've fallen. And sometimes I've found myself fighting the same battle over and over again.
But I've also learned that what I cannot resist through my own strength, I can bring before God and ask for His.
Sometimes that means leaning on Him once a week.
Sometimes every morning.
Sometimes every hour.
And sometimes, when temptation or weakness feels overwhelming, it means surrendering to Him second by second.
"Lord, I can't do this on my own. I need You right now."
There is no shame in that prayer.
In fact, there is something profoundly beautiful about recognizing that we were never meant to walk this journey relying solely on ourselves.
And perhaps the greatest lesson in Paul's thorn is that God doesn't always remove our struggles. Sometimes He transforms us through them.
The thorn that once seemed like a curse can become the very thing that keeps us close to our Savior.
That doesn't mean we stop seeking healing, making changes, accepting help, or taking responsibility for our actions. It means we stop believing that victory depends entirely upon our own strength.
Grace doesn't mean we will never struggle. Grace means we never have to struggle without God.
And when we fall short, His grace is still there, calling us back.
Paul eventually declared:
"For when I am weak, then am I strong." — 2 Corinthians 12:10 (KJV)
What a powerful truth.
Our weakness does not disqualify us from God's love. It can become the very place where we experience His presence most deeply.
So whatever thorn you carry today, don't let it convince you that God has abandoned you.
Bring it to Him.
Again tomorrow, if necessary.
Again in an hour.
Again in the very next second.
Because sometimes faith isn't about conquering the mountain in front of us.
Sometimes faith is simply reaching for God's hand and trusting Him to help us take the next step.
From the pasture, where even the strongest animals sometimes need a shepherd.
God's grace is sufficient. Always.
— The Pasture Pulpit Dogwood Farms of Montpelier