But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  2 Corinthians 12:9

I’m beginning to understand the value of having a thorn in my life. I need the constant reminder that Jesus is bigger than that. Once I jumped into the sweet reality that my weakness is something to boast about, the thorn stopped nagging me, albeit for that moment. Thorns will always grow on the stem of a rose or on a vine of a thistle, but I choose to believe that God has transformed my stubborn heart, like thorny weeds choking life, into a beautiful budding rose, a rose that’s noticed more than the thorns because of God’s all-sufficient grace.

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses! This week, it dawned on me as I was fighting with that thorn and asking God to please take it away for ever, that I had never thanked him for that thorn. I had never taken the jump into experiencing God’s grace. Jumping into joy by praising God for my weakness.

My conversation with God went something like this:

“Okay, God! Here I am boasting about this junk! Do you hear me? I am so tired with dealing with this again and again. I’ve begged you to take it away for ever but it’s still weighing me down. I need your grace and power because I am about to fail again! Thank you, God for this wonderful trial and constant temptation so I can depend on you for strength to overcome. I’m counting on the truth of your Word. I believe, please help my unbelief. I believe I am more than a conqueror because of Jesus. Show me Jesus, now!”

There is something wonderfully sweet about feeling the prick of the Holy Spirit in my heart. To even feel a sense of happiness for that thorn. It’s there for me to celebrate and jump into God’s sufficiency. He did show me Jesus! Praising God for that!

My heart naturally resists depending on God when I am weak. The noise in my heart, amplified by tough self-sufficiency, can drown out the Holy Spirit’s reminder: “my power is perfect in your weakness.” God meets me at the point of my prideful self-sufficiency and lovingly brings me to my knees in worshipful dependence.   ~Tricia Wilkerson 

Linking up with Five Minute Friday: JUMP