Yesterday I had on my mind... roses. For one, my mom’s name is Rose... and furthermore... I love white roses... why I don’t know... A pretty flower like roses can get a hard deal. They are very beautiful, but they have thorns can if you touch them can hurt. The stems of flowers or shrubs are armed with thorns serve as protection from herbivores.
Of course then I start to think of 2 Corinthians when Paul talked about his thorn in the flesh. All the time I would look at chapter 12 and would be like... okay so I gotta thorn in my flesh and God’s grace will be sufficient. But now I think about it and I’m like. Okay, Vincent... granted life hasn’t been a utopia, but it has not been bad at all. And the thorn, while it pierces you to keep you humble... it also can serve as protection from “your” self (human side that is).
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
[1] I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.
[2] I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows.
[3] And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—
[4] Was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell.
[5] I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.
[6] Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say.
[7] To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
[8] Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away 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
[10] That is why, for Christ
Many times... our most intimate blessings lie within the pain that we experience. And while it is appears easier to walk away or run from the pain; the further you run away from it... the closer you are to it. It’s never easy dealing with the past pains. One will question him/herself, why me? Why do I have to go through this? And the text above explains it all. And even when you come out of it, you still are reminded of what you endured. And that’s not to condemn you, but rather to remind you to stay humble and grounded in God’s Will. Hence the thorns. Yeah the thorn does hurt, but know that the thorn can be your protection from what this world wants for you. If you wanna think about like this: the thorns in your life can serve as protection from what the enemy tries to wage against you.
THOUGHT:
You get prick once and you bleed... well it hurts, but you not going to go back and get pricked again lol...
My god brothers and I were talking and something stuck out to me that got me the thinking. We all start out as seeds... and with nourishment... we take root... prayfully in God’s Fertile Soil. But of course there are the weeds lol. And granted the weeds are coming... we must always seek God so that He can prune us from time to time... that way we can grow and bear fruit.
Matthew 6:33... But seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Who knows He just might put a thorn or two on us to remind us 1) individually and collectively, where we come from 2) if God had not been there every step of the way... where would we be 3) of the lessons that we learned... so that we won’t repeat... and 4) the thorns can represent another level of God’s covering from Satan.
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