Contradictions in Life

I think as we get older, we recognize more and more contradictions in life. That things aren't always what they seem. An example of this is thinking that the path of least resistance is always the best because it appears to be the easiest. But life experience shows us that's not always true. Another contradiction in life is that the people closest to us are the easiest to love. Again, often not true. One more example is that the people who seem to be the happiest on the outside are the most joyful and peace-filled on the inside.

In teaching us about life, God's Word often deals in contradictions and shows us that things aren't always what they seem. In 2 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul says that he was given "a thorn in the flesh" to torment him. Now Paul never makes clear exactly what the thorn is, whether it's a hardship or persecution or a physical ailment. Nonetheless, it's clear that it troubles Paul and makes him feel weak. Verses 8-9 tell us, "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'"        

This is one of those contradictions or paradoxes in life. Paul, a servant of the Lord, is given this thorn. Though he prays, God does not remove it. There may be things in our lives that act as "thorns in our flesh." These things may be emotional, physical, or relational. They torment us. They trouble us. Yet, they're not removed. The contradiction continues in that God says His grace (His loving favor) is sufficient for anything we go through, and that "His power is perfected in our weakness." So that even though these things persist, if we depend on God, His power will grow stronger in our lives. At the end of verse 10, Paul says, "For when I am weak, then I am strong." What a wonderful contradiction!

May we live each day by the power of God's strength in our lives.

Pastor Darren