Beck column: The thorn

Do you — or have you ever — had a "thorn in your flesh"? I don't mean a splinter, but a large painful thorn. In Second Corinthians 12:1-10, we learn about Paul's vision and the thorn in his flesh. Paul had "revelations from the Lord." Because of these "surpassingly great revelations," he believed the thorn in his flesh was to keep him from becoming conceited and was a messenger from Satan, there to torment him.

Three times he pleaded with the Lord to take the thorn away. But the Lord said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul then says, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

If you have ever read my stories, then you know that I have several large "thorns" in my body: myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis, an AVM, and now, osteoporosis. Studying God's word enables us to experience revelations in our own lives and helps us understand the "whys" of those thorns. Have you questioned the Lord about your thorns?

Reading scripture has helped me understand that those thorns in my flesh are part of God's plans for my life. His purpose has been for me to share my thorns with others. Through the years, he taught me to overcome most of my fears; he led a shy young girl to speak in public to tell people about him and to empathize with those who need encouragement. Learning to accept our pain and limitations is an ongoing process. If things get better, our attitude improves. Then we face another valley, and the going gets rough again. At times, anger and bitterness consume us and our thorns pierce us even deeper.

It helps if we have a prayer warrior who can intervene and help us face each step we have to take to reach our destination. I have several friends who keep me in their prayers. While writing this story, I was reminded how the other Linda in my life is a great listener to the first drafts of my stories. She helps me think of things that need to be added for my stories to meet their destination.

What is your final destination? Well, mine is an eternal home in heaven. I wish I could say that "I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties." Reading God's Word and listening to the testimonies of other Christians has enabled me to accept these things, whether I "delight" in them or not.

And God gives us the grace to endure the tests that we are confronted with because of the thorns in our flesh. My friend Linda says she was once told in a Bible study that sometimes it is people in our lives who are the thorns in our flesh. I guess there could be some truth in that as I'm sure most of us have had some thorny issues with people with whom we have contact.

He and I agreed, however, that without the tests we suffer through, there would be no testimony for us to share.----My thorns have definitely been my testimony, and I pray that God will continue to use me to help others find the peace he has given me, even when my pain is at its worst.Linda Beck lives in Woodleaf.