Thorn in my Flesh

This is good stuff to those of us with a huge thorn in our flesh that we really wish God would remove.

II Corinthians 12:6-8 (from The Message):

So I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap [i.e. thorn in my flesh] to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,


My grace is enough; it's all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap [i.e. thorn in my flesh] and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.