Message Minute (The Word Paul Chose)
"Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me." — 2 Corinthians 12:7
Paul had just described being caught up into the third heaven, seeing visions no one else had seen. Then comes a single word that changes everything: given. Not cursed with. Not stuck with. Given. Like a present under a tree. Paul, one of the most educated writers of his day, chose that word on purpose. Whatever this thorn was, it wasn't random. It came from a Father who had a purpose, even in the pain.
That's a hard truth to sit with. Most seasons of suffering get labeled as something to escape, fight, or explain away. But what if the very thing being resented right now was actually given by a Father who loves deeply? Not because pain is good, but because a purpose is often hidden inside it.
Some things in life come with a price tag that can't be negotiated. The question isn't whether the thorn is fair. The question is whether it can be received as a gift with a purpose not yet visible.
Reflection: What's one thing you are fighting right now that might actually be something to receive instead?
Prayer: Prayer: Lord, some of what I carry, I never would have chosen. Teach me to see it the way Paul did; not as punishment, but as something passing through Your hands first. Amen.
Paul had just described being caught up into the third heaven, seeing visions no one else had seen. Then comes a single word that changes everything: given. Not cursed with. Not stuck with. Given. Like a present under a tree. Paul, one of the most educated writers of his day, chose that word on purpose. Whatever this thorn was, it wasn't random. It came from a Father who had a purpose, even in the pain.
That's a hard truth to sit with. Most seasons of suffering get labeled as something to escape, fight, or explain away. But what if the very thing being resented right now was actually given by a Father who loves deeply? Not because pain is good, but because a purpose is often hidden inside it.
Some things in life come with a price tag that can't be negotiated. The question isn't whether the thorn is fair. The question is whether it can be received as a gift with a purpose not yet visible.
Reflection: What's one thing you are fighting right now that might actually be something to receive instead?
Prayer: Prayer: Lord, some of what I carry, I never would have chosen. Teach me to see it the way Paul did; not as punishment, but as something passing through Your hands first. Amen.
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2026
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