Hey Everyone,
I'm writing this as a companion thread to the other about depression that I just posted.
Nearly every Christian knows about the Apostle Paul's infamous "thorn in the flesh." I've read theories about what it may have been, but the Bible never specifically says. All we know is that Paul asked God 3 times to take away, and in the end, God told him no, saying, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
I have often thought about what my "thorns in the flesh" might be, and I have often thought that depression is one of them. For as much pain as it causes, I've learned to see purposes through the pain, slight differences in its manifestations, and the fact that it always somehow brings me back to the cross, even if I follow long detours.
Sometimes it's just "garden variety" depressive spells -- that old familiar twinge of pain that feels like another paper cut, or series of them, slicing into your soul. Other times, they are of a gargantuan mutant variety, and often linger for extended periods before God seems to tell me its purpose. Sometimes I get a bad spell right before some kind of breakthrough happens, whether for me or someone else -- and I realize it's been good old spiritual warfare.
Sometimes I know He's using it to hold me back, reset my attitudes, or literally clean out my clock, using it to point out the wrong turns I've taken that need to be set straight. Sometimes I've broken a "bone" in my spiritual skeleton, and God is using the depression to "rebreak" and "reset" it back in place.
Sometimes, when I go through a particularly severe spell, I've told God that I'm afraid to ask for healing because I know He'll chose some other method to get these lessons across. For me, the fear of the unknown is almost greater than the pain of what I already know, crippling as it can be. At least if it's familiar, I somewhat know how to start coping.
Depression often knocks me back to square one, which is where I'm sure God wants me at different timea and places in my life. I've asked Him if there's another way to do it, but in the end, I pray for His will to be done, as I know we have to go with His wisdom and let Him make the decisions above all else.
What does this journy look like for you?
* What are the spiritual thorns you deal with, whether they are mental, spiritual, or physical? You don't have to name them specifically if you don't want to -- but maybe tell us how they make you feel and what consequences they've had.
* Are your spiritual thorns rooted in yourself, or others? (For instance, would you say they are your own mental struggles, or things about others that become your own thorn?) Do you have to keep some people at a distance because of it? How does that work out?
* What purposes do you see in your thorns? Do you think God will heal them, or do you think He'll choose to keep them with you?
* How do you cope with your thorns, and what advice would you give to new Christians as they are discovering and wondering how to deal with their own?
* Have your thorns changed over time? (Maybe one gets too familar and too "easy" to cope with, so God sends something else?)
Thank you for taking the time to contribute to this discussion.
I hope others find the topic as interesting as I do.
I'm writing this as a companion thread to the other about depression that I just posted.
Nearly every Christian knows about the Apostle Paul's infamous "thorn in the flesh." I've read theories about what it may have been, but the Bible never specifically says. All we know is that Paul asked God 3 times to take away, and in the end, God told him no, saying, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
I have often thought about what my "thorns in the flesh" might be, and I have often thought that depression is one of them. For as much pain as it causes, I've learned to see purposes through the pain, slight differences in its manifestations, and the fact that it always somehow brings me back to the cross, even if I follow long detours.
Sometimes it's just "garden variety" depressive spells -- that old familiar twinge of pain that feels like another paper cut, or series of them, slicing into your soul. Other times, they are of a gargantuan mutant variety, and often linger for extended periods before God seems to tell me its purpose. Sometimes I get a bad spell right before some kind of breakthrough happens, whether for me or someone else -- and I realize it's been good old spiritual warfare.
Sometimes I know He's using it to hold me back, reset my attitudes, or literally clean out my clock, using it to point out the wrong turns I've taken that need to be set straight. Sometimes I've broken a "bone" in my spiritual skeleton, and God is using the depression to "rebreak" and "reset" it back in place.
Sometimes, when I go through a particularly severe spell, I've told God that I'm afraid to ask for healing because I know He'll chose some other method to get these lessons across. For me, the fear of the unknown is almost greater than the pain of what I already know, crippling as it can be. At least if it's familiar, I somewhat know how to start coping.
Depression often knocks me back to square one, which is where I'm sure God wants me at different timea and places in my life. I've asked Him if there's another way to do it, but in the end, I pray for His will to be done, as I know we have to go with His wisdom and let Him make the decisions above all else.
What does this journy look like for you?
* What are the spiritual thorns you deal with, whether they are mental, spiritual, or physical? You don't have to name them specifically if you don't want to -- but maybe tell us how they make you feel and what consequences they've had.
* Are your spiritual thorns rooted in yourself, or others? (For instance, would you say they are your own mental struggles, or things about others that become your own thorn?) Do you have to keep some people at a distance because of it? How does that work out?
* What purposes do you see in your thorns? Do you think God will heal them, or do you think He'll choose to keep them with you?
* How do you cope with your thorns, and what advice would you give to new Christians as they are discovering and wondering how to deal with their own?
* Have your thorns changed over time? (Maybe one gets too familar and too "easy" to cope with, so God sends something else?)
Thank you for taking the time to contribute to this discussion.
I hope others find the topic as interesting as I do.
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