by Rod Marshall
“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” John 14:21(ESV)
I have been wearing a shirt for work during the warmer months. However, each time I wore it I was aware of a stinging sensation in my back. I thought it was something catching on the join of my braces (suspenders) in the middle of my back? No, nothing there, so I shrugged it off.
After several attempts at wearing the shirt I thought I would try and tie down what the cause was. Maybe it was a spot, growth or wrinkle catching in the center pleat of the shirt? No, it was not. Anyway, after several weeks of enduring the sensation of being pin pricked sporadically in the middle of my back I decided, having eliminated everything else, that it must be something in the shirt itself.
I used a ruler and mirror to pinpoint the area on my back and removed the shirt to investigate. Lo, and behold, I found a tiny piece of hard green plastic hidden inside the weave of the material. I guess it was like a shard from a tag you get on bags of fruit. Probably a label from the original roll of cloth caught up in the machine when it was woven.
Aha, finally success! I had found the cause and so it could be removed. Now, having remedied the shirt by pulling the plastic splinter out, I have regained a slightly damaged but good shirt. I have never heard, read or seen anything like this before so, I mused.
It has made me consider how I can cause pain to a God who loves us, but cannot abide our sinful and flawed nature. Through our supplication, Jesus’ Love and Grace, these causes of pain may be removed, or remedied, so that God can regain a slightly damaged but pleasing disciple!
PRAYER: LORD, we are truly sorry for being a pain, again. It dismays us to think we can continue to cause You sadness. Please forgive us all that is past. Sanctify us through Jesus’ blood, and, via the agency of the Holy Spirit, You might be pleased to walk with us once more today and grant us Your Peace because You love us, in Jesus’ name, amen.
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https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2011/03/08/rm_thorn-in-the-flesh/