Je ne suis pas comme Paul

avatar

I am not like Paul. He had it a lot harder than I did, and the comparisons don’t stop there. Who and what am I talking about?
Maybe this will help you zero in.
2 corinthians 12:10-15

8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

What is my “thorn”? That is a great question. I’m not entirely sure it is just one. There are several, actually. My body is failing me. It has been for a while I suppose. Yes, I am older and much of it can be attributed to age. I’ve mentioned before that I am a two time cancer survivor. I think that fact has a lot to do with what’s wrong with me. Arthritis in my spine, my hands, knees and probably a few others as well. Then we throw in a good size helping of Meniere's Disease. That is a nasty little thing, let me tell you. It includes such great hits like non-stop ringing in one ear (mostly), a never ending fullness or clogged feeling. Sometimes, just for fun, it throws in a 60 cycle hum. Think running appliance sounds. . It’s like all sounds sort of stop or are deeply muffled. It’s rather disorienting. Quiet places and rooms are also a big no-no as they only exacerbate the symptoms. It also feels like I have what can be described as tunnel hearing I guess it would be like tunnel vision but for the ears. It’s an odd unsettling feeling. Oh and let’s not forget vertigo and general balance issues. Did I mention there is no cure for this? Nice huh? There are times when I am tempted to just cut my ear off. Not that I would or that it would do me any good but, still somewhat tempted.

I try to not complain too much. But, it’s really hard not to. I want to do all the things I did in my youth, a very wasted youth at that. That’s something for another day though. I’ve always heard and I am sure you are familiar with the phrase “God never gives us more than we can handle. A cursory search turns up something similar in 1Cor. 10:13, which I believe is where this saying got its start. “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear”
One take on this is that it's a matter of temptation vs suffering. He never gives us more than we can handle, or lets us be tempted beyond what we can bear. So, if that holds true, it really has nothing to do with suffering. I had a point I was coming to when I started this paragraph…
Reading my devotional tonight made me think of one of my favorite verses Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
So, I know God has a plan for me. One that will not harm me. It’s not always easy to remember this. I trust Him. The human side of me struggles with this. I went grocery shopping. Maybe 20 minutes in the store and I was wiped out. I needed to come home and rest. It sucks big time.
I realize as I make a switch from the types of posts I used to do that these new posts won’t be as popular. I know I will find my audience again. My people or tribe if you will.
I am not looking to win any popularity contests. I simply want to share my story, my experiences and my walk with God. Will I be perfect? Nope I am only perfected through Him. Will I stumble? Absolutely! It’s all part of being human. All I can do is get up and start again.
I am always open to earning something from my posts. It allows me to potentially pay a bill or something.
1 Timothy: 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. People always misquote this. Do I love money? No but, I do have a deep, deep like of it. It’s a necessary tool to do things with. To live, pay rent, keep the lights on and even to help others. Way back when, we would help neighbors that may be struggling. Whether it was giving food to them, or a personal favorite, the angel trees malls used to have.

I hope you can gain something from this and future posts.

As always just my .02¢ worth. Keep stackin and God bless!



0
0
0.000
1 comments
avatar

Congratulations @athomewithcraig! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :

You distributed more than 20000 upvotes.
Your next target is to reach 21000 upvotes.

You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

Check out the last post from @hivebuzz:

Hive Power Up Day - July 1st 2021 - Hive Power Delegation
0
0
0.000