“There was given to me a thorn in the flesh...I besought the Lord that it might depart from me....He said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.

I think of my life like a Rose Bush. from a distance a bush looks put together, socially acceptable, pretty normal. but if you decided to reach your hand inside it, you'd be met with a sticky surprise, aka a thorn. Thorns are seemingly unnecessary. they stick in your clothes and make you bleed, something you'd definitely wish away. For years I've asked God to take away specific struggles in my life, my "thorns". at some point i got tired of asking tbh, and started trying to take them away myself, which only resulted in more pain. through my mistakes though, God has been showing me that maybe it's His will for those "thorns" to stay; not that He wants me to suffer, but that He wants to be my strength and to be glorified through it all. that He wants to use me, not in spite of my weaknesses, but because of them.

by definition, thorns on a Rose bush are there "to protect them from being eaten by animals attracted to their wonderful smell." i'd like to think that the thorns in my life are there because God sees me as His precious rose and is protecting me so i can bloom and become the girl he meant me to be. ❤️