Do you ever wonder what Paul’s thorn in his side was (2 Corinthians 12:8)?
I wonder all the time. Did he have this thorn before he was a believer? And, if so, how long had he had it? Or, did his thorn enter his life after it changed forever on the road to Damascus?
All I know is that Paul does not say what his thorn was. How mysterious of him!
I think we all have thorns that we’ve wished we could pray away. I know I’m guilty of it.
How many times I’ve come before the Lord and asked him why he’s allowed certain things to happen in my life.
How many times I’ve promised I would change my sinful ways if he could just alter time and space and change certain events in my life.
How many times I’ve convinced myself that I would have been a better person had I not gone through these challenges.
While God is more than capable of erasing history, He doesn’t. Why doesn’t He make exceptions…?
I think it’s because He calls us to be strong and courageous. (Joshua 1:9) He knows that we have His strength to handle whatever life throws our way, even if we don’t think we’re strong enough.
The Courage to Trust
We need to trust His strength, because God wouldn’t have allowed us to endure this pain otherwise. We can stand tall and be courageous…because it takes courage to trust.
While we may not have been given the ability to change our history and rid ourselves of our thorns, we have been given the power to embrace them…which is hard (I know).
It is possible to make lemonade out of those flying life-lemons.
It begins with the trusting choice of saying, “This will not defeat me.” Christ has already won the biggest battle of our lives (Romans 8:37), but the deceiver will do anything he can to convince us that we don’t have the strength to win the smaller ones.
But quite the opposite is true. God is in the business of making beautiful things . . . and every rose has its thorn.
I may not even be able to count how many hairs are stuck in my hair brush (let alone how many are on my head), but I can provide you with a tasty dinner that is approved by kids, teens, adults, and grandparents!
This Italian Chicken with Angel Hair Pasta is one of my favorite dinners to make, and I got the recipe from my husband’s family. There are never any leftovers, and it is so easy to feed an army with! Maybe it’s my Italian roots enjoying it for the word Italian in it, but this meal just always makes me feel better. However, pasta just naturally has a way of doing that for me…
*What are some things you can do to embrace your thorn?
Italian Chicken with Angel Hair Pasta
Ingredients
- 8-10 boneless , skinless chicken tenderloin (figure 2-3 tenders per person)
- 1/2-3/4 cup Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian Dressing
- 1 lb angel hair pasta
- 4 tbsp flat-leaf parsley , finely chopped
- Grated Parmesan cheese for topping
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken with the dressing in a ziploc bag for at least 2 hours and keep in the fridge until ready for use.
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Empty the chicken and dressing into a 9x13 baking dish. You can add a bit more dressing at this point if you like. (The dressing turns into a sauce that you can just drizzle over the chicken and pasta. ) Bake for 45-60 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
- While the chicken is baking, prepare pasta according to the box's directions. Drain pasta and return to pot.
- Place some pasta on a plate and top with the baked Italian chicken. Drizzle some of the dressing from the baking dish over the chicken. Sprinkle a little bit of parsley over the pasta and chicken. Top with grated parmesan cheese and serve.
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Karen says
February 20, 2015 at 6:36 amI really needed this today. I’ve been feeling discouraged by my thorns which loom over me as failures. My husband is not a believer (I got saved after we got married) so my shortcomings are reminders of my ineffective witness. I don’t want Satan taking advantage of my weak spots and needed to be reminded that Jesus has won the victory and He is powerful to help me. I love Him, need Him, and am thankful for Him.
Chelsia Rief says
February 20, 2015 at 2:11 pmWe were talking about this in my Bible study this morning, how the world and often times unbelievers don’t realize we’re not perfect therefore, we see our flaws and feel as witnesses we’re failing. But we are not perfect, we’re a constant work in progress We’re forgiven, not perfect. Try not to let the stress of shortcomings discourage you. With God, all things are possible. This is something I relate to a lot because I feel a burden pressed upon me to reach my unsaved parents. But, I cannot save them, only God can. What I’m called to do is just show Christ’s love as best I can. Just love, and let God be the one to woo his spirit. 🙂
Lisa Jacobson says
February 19, 2015 at 3:28 pmWhile I’d never consider our special-needs little girl as a “thorn” (she’s really our rose!), I do worry about her and what the future holds for her—especially as she’s getting heavier and heavier for me to lift. But your words here reminded me that I can trust God for her future and that He knows what her needs will be…even more than I do. That is something I can embrace! (And thank you for your encouraging words to stand strong, Chelsia)
Chelsia Rief says
February 20, 2015 at 2:05 pmHer future is so secure and and she is so very blessed to have a family like yours who adores her and embraces her special-needs. I can’t wait to meet her smiling face one day. 🙂