II Corinthians 12:7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. (NIV)
It appeared on the side of my heel the first day. We couldn’t turn back but going forward would intensify the pain.
My daughter and I were on a five day hiking stint. Not thinking, I wore a new pair of boots a half size too large. The rough trail caused my feet to slide back and forth. Feeling a hot spot, I stopped to remove my right boot and discovered a blister the size of a fifty cent piece.
At the first river, I washed my wound in the cool water and covered it with a bandage. What I didn’t want was infection. But the roughness of the trail made band aids useless so I brought out the Duct tape.
The remainder of our hike involved doctoring my foot morning and night and walking a little slower during the day. The blister was a thorn in my foot our entire journey.
Scholars have hazarded many guesses about Paul’s thorn but it’s immaterial. Whatever it was, God chose not to remove it and Paul learned to live with it and learn from it. He concluded it was sent by Satan with God’s approval to ward off conceit.
Thorns keep us humble but humility goes against the human grain. Who doesn’t like to be recognized and praised for a job well done? Or have a highway named in their honor? Paul had a long list of accomplishments worth recognizing.
But recognition isn’t the problem. It’s our response that tangles the web, and sometimes God gives a thorn to help us remember that. My blister thorn kept me from parading around like an experienced hiker and made me look like a novice.
God will send whatever it takes to keep us humble and him exalted. He is the source of our achievements and should be the recipient of our praise. He will exalt us when we are selfless and other focused, but he will prick us when we aren’t.
Prayer: Father, when we’re tempted to think we’re the bee’s knees, remind us You are the source of our gifts and all accolades belong to You.