Our theme this year at Judson is "What's your story?"
This past week in chapel, our message was not only about what our story is, but what our thorn is. Yes, you read that right ... what our thorn is. As Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians, "So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given to me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited."
What is your thorn?
*Pornography, adultery, drunkenness, drugs, violence, insecurity, depression, idolatry, sexual immorality, selfish ambition, jealousy..etc..*
What have you done or continue to do that you struggle with?
What was Paul's thorn?
The Bible doesn't mention what his thorn was. We know from reading that he struggled with vision, but this particular text doesn't tell us what his thorn is, it just tells us that he has one. He said that he was given this thorn in order to keep him from becoming conceited; to keep him humble. If life was all roses and diamonds all the time, we probably wouldn't call on God as much as we do when we are struggling with something. We would feel like we could do it all on our own. So in that case, we have thorns.
So we have thorns, how do we get rid of them?
Truthfully, you don't get rid of your thorns. You can call upon God to forgive you for these thorns, but they will always be there. They will always be there to remind you where you have been and how God helped you through. They are also there in order for us to help others when their thorns look a lot like ours.
My thorns:
Like everyone else, I have done things in my past that I am not proud of. I asked God to forgive me of those sins and like always, He did! I often find myself thinking about the things I have said and done and I start to feel the hurt all over again. I question myself a lot. I question if I truly laid my burdens at God's feet, then why am I still carrying it around? As I sat in chapel this past Tuesday, in tears, I realized that my thorns (sins) will always be there. Not as a burden, but as my story. The story of how God changed my life. I will use my story to help others.
For when I am weak, then I am strong.
God took my weakness and made it my strength. I can tell my story now and not feel the shame that I used to. People may always remember me as my thorn, but I am not my thorn. I don't let it make me weak anymore, I am stronger because of it. In my weakness, I found strength in my creator. God wants us to bring our burdens to Him.
"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken." -Psalm 55:22
