Westside Church of Christ

“God will never put more on us than we can handle.” Did you ever hear that? It is often expressed but absolutely wrong. One of life’s greatest educational experiences is to have our own weakness exposed. No, it never feels good. It humiliates, embarrasses and frustrates us. Surely, a loving Lord would never allow that to happen to us. That is a human perspective. Our Father sees beyond the horizon of our limited vision.

The burdens that Paul faced were excessive, beyond his strength to bear, and they taught him a valuable lesson. We tend to rely on our own ability to hold up under the worries of life. We might stand up for a while, but sooner or later we will face something that is beyond our muscle. Then what? Life is a great classroom and if we’re smart, we’ll learn what Paul did: Don’t trust in yourself but in God. He can raise the dead, and nothing is too heavy for His strong arms (2 Corinthians 1:8-10). Set our hope on Him.

Paul’s thorn in the flesh has mystified scholars for centuries. Speculation abounds about what it was. We cannot know for sure because the word of God does not tell us. He would have put it in His book if we needed to know. What it was is obviously not the point. God’s grace is (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). The apostle was standing on the shaky ground of potentially exalting himself. The revelations that he had received were extraordinary, and that could have led him to the disastrous attitude of pride. It was snuffed out before it could take root. We might call it the tough love of the Lord. Scripture calls it grace, and it was adequate to enable him to endure whatever thorn he had.

Paul’s story was remarkable from beginning to end. The word of the Lord traces it from the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7) to his confinement in Rome (Acts 28), from enemy to evangelist. He suffered everything the enemy could throw at him (2 Corinthians 11:21-28). His resume includes beatings, stonings and imprisonment. They all led him to a full realization that he was totally dependent on the Lord.

He had a multitude of reasons to grow discouraged or bitter, but he saw the silver lining behind the dark clouds. He viewed his chains as an opportunity to spread the gospel. Many of his brethren were emboldened by his experience. He even found goodness in the messengers whose motive was wrong but whose message was right. They preached Christ, and in that he rejoiced (Philippians 1:12-18).

Every thorn teaches a lesson. Each failure reminds us how weak we are, and how much we need Him. He is perpetually shaping those who love God into the image of His Son (Romans 8:28-29). Look through the eyes of faith, and it becomes an amazing education.