Thorn In The Flesh

Today’s a new day! If I tried explaining this crazy beautiful health journey to myself before this journey started, the former me would have been confused and most likely skeptical. That’s the most difficult part of living with a chronic illness. Unless you’ve walked the road, it’s nearly impossible to understand.

No amount of words can describe how completely this health journey has affected my life. My body’s tired. It longs for relief. I hear its cries. I used to force my body to keep moving, angrily ignoring its groans. Then I realized my body didn’t ask for this. We live in a broken world. Everyone’s body breaks down at some point. Mine decided to break down at 35. That was twenty-one years ago. Supposedly I was in the prime of my life. But through the years, I have come to realize I’m not entitled to perfect health. No one is. Sometimes the body suffers the effects of brokenness much earlier than it should.

I share the above not to bring anyone down, but to hopefully bring hope. Hope might be the most important tool in the Christian arsenal. Hope is not circumstantial. It is a firm conviction, a way of seeing the world. Hope is what sustains us through difficult times. We know God is in control, regardless of what our circumstances might lead us to believe. We trust suffering is temporary and that God will use even the worst of situations for good. Evil might have the first word (cancer, chronic illness, divorce), but we proclaim boldly that God will have the last.

Many times in the last twenty-one years, I have found encouragement in 2 Corinthians Chapter 12. In verses 8 and 9, Paul talks about his thorn in the flesh that tormented him throughout his life. He prayed multiple times for God to remove it. Here was God’s response: “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”

I may experience another miracle along this journey. I may not. Either way, God’s grace is sufficient. It’s enough for me. I pray it’s enough for you too. ~OC