3 Lessons of the Blessing of the ThornSampel

Roses are beautiful flowers. They signify anything from love and gratitude to friendship and new starts, depending on the color. Roses smell beautiful. The aroma of a fresh vase of roses fills the room with an unmistakable pleasant fragrance that sends the recipient into a trance of bliss. But, one aspect of the rose comes across as negative and hurtful: the thorns. For most varieties of roses, the only way to miss the thorns is to do without the flower and the fragrance. Because of the beauty of the petals and the glory of the aroma, we put up with the pain of the thorns. Life has thorns, too. Sure, life has spectacular flowers and blessings that we can compare to beautiful scents. But along the journey of life, thorns will invariably arise. In 2 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul teaches us some lessons about how thorns can actually be a blessing in our lives.
 

Lesson #1: Thorns Help Combat Pride.

 Pride is a dangerous trait that is difficult to overcome. Paul said that the thorn in his flesh kept him from becoming conceited. When we have everything in our lives under control, we tend to become arrogant with the thought that we can handle anything. The thorn forced Paul to realize that there are many things in life that he could not control. Paul could not radiate conceit when the dreaded thorn reared its ugly head. The thorns in our lives teach us humility. 

What flaws in your life do you consider to be thorns? How can you shift your thinking and looks at these flaws as blessings?