The large, famous Liberty Bell in Independence Hall is cracked. In Moscow, another famous bell that attracts tourists is also cracked. The bigger the bell, the greater the possibility of its breaking.
Great Christians usually have some flaw or weakness too. For example, Paul had a “thorn in the flesh.” The identity of this undefined irritant has been the subject of speculation for centuries. Headaches, epilepsy, or a serious eye disease are but a few of the physical ailments that have been suggested. A recurring emotional weakness has also been supposed. A few scholars think that the adversaries of Paul’s ministry were his thorn. But God’s Spirit did not prompt the apostle to tell us, and I believe for good reason. Not knowing its exact nature allows us to see any divine deterrent to pride and self-sufficiency as a heaven-sent thorn.
But how can a permanent weakness be a blessing? Maltbie D. Babcock wrote that when Paul realized it had come to stay, he quickly made friends with it. “It was no longer how to dismiss it, but how to entertain. He stopped groaning and began glorifying. It … meant new opportunity, new victory, new likeness to Christ.”
Do you have some affliction from which you have not been delivered? Learn to befriend it. Satan will exploit it to try to defeat you (2 Corinthians 12:7), but God uses it to teach you humility, to reveal His strength in you, and to keep you close to Himself. – Dennis J. De Haan
If we are troubled by a “thorn”
That will not go away,
It’s meant to keep us trusting Him
For grace and strength each day. – D. J. De Haan
Afflictions are often God’s best blessings in disguise.
- May 13, 1987, Our Daily Bread
For You 