The danger of removing the thorns

The danger of removing thorns

SCRIPTURE: "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

Introduction

Have you ever wished you could just get rid of something in your life—something painful, nagging, or inconvenient—only to discover that removing it might cause more harm than good?

In hospitals around the world, there are patients who live with growths that cannot be touched. One man carries a tumor pressed against his spine. The doctors have said, “We can try to remove it, but if we do, you may never walk again.” So, he lives with it. Another woman carries a mass on her brain. The specialists told her, “If we cut it out, you may lose your speech or your memory.” So, she lives with it. They are thorns they wish were gone, but the cost of removal would be greater than the pain of endurance.

Others live with cancers that doctors dare not disturb. There are cancers that, once cut, spread faster than before. So patients live with treatments, radiation, and endless checkups, always carrying the thorn of disease but also learning the daily discipline of leaning on God’s strength.

Veterans walk around with fragments of battle still inside of them—shrapnel that doctors could not remove without risking death. One soldier once testified, “This piece of metal reminds me of the war I survived and the grace that still lets me breathe.” The thorn stayed in his body, not because no one tried to remove it, but because the danger of removal was too great.

Families of Siamese twins are all too familiar with this truth. Children born joined together may share vital organs that cannot be separated without risking both lives. Parents who long for “normalcy” must accept what God has allowed...

The full sermon has 2750 words.