a thorn in the flesh

There’s so much about God’s word I just do not understand.  Like how can I be both weak and strong, and both at the same time?  What does that even mean? 

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NAS

7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me to keep me from exalting myself!  

God allows thorns in my life to test me and to strengthen me and teach me to have complete faith in Him and for His plans and purposes in my life.  Job, Daniel, Moses, Abraham, Jonah, and many more were tested way beyond my understanding.  

8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.  

God is teaching me patience, and it’s difficult for me to learn.

9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

In spite of anything I may face, I really need to experience and know and feel and be grateful for God’s grace.  But, I can never truly understand how far and how wide the grace God is.

10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

(I had to do some researching on this verse.) It’s the difficult things and the terrible things and the painful things and the bad things and the hurtful things and the awful things that God has to use for me to rely on Him.  If my life only had perfect days in perfect places with perfect weather with perfect people in perfect beauty with perfect harmony in perfect freedom and perfect health and perfect joy with perfect wealth in perfect...

If that is my perfect life, would I feel I need more?  Fact is, that’s not my life and will never be my life.

God uses the thorns in my flesh to teach me: for when I am weak, then I am strong.