2 Corinthians 12:7–10

I was given a thorn in my body because of the outstanding revelations I’ve received so that I wouldn’t be conceited. It’s a messenger from Satan sent to torment me so that I wouldn’t be conceited. 

I pleaded with the Lord three times for it to leave me alone. He said to me, “My grace is enough for you, because power is made perfect in weakness.” So I’ll gladly spend my time bragging about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power can rest on me. Therefore, I’m all right with weaknesses, insults, disasters, harassments, and stressful situations for the sake of Christ, because when I’m weak, then I’m strong.

Scholars have debated for centuries what Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” might have been. Was it a physical ailment? An emotional burden? An enemy? We don’t know—and in many ways, we don’t need to. What matters is that Paul knew what it was to plead with God for relief and to hear instead a word of grace: “My grace is enough for you.” 

Caregivers can relate deeply to this passage. We, too, have wrestled with burdens that won’t go away. We may have begged God for healing for our loved one, not because we don’t want to care, but because the weight is so heavy and unrelenting. And yet, our hearts resist the idea of being “relieved” through loss. It’s a complicated mixture of love, weariness, and sometimes guilt, because we feel both devotion and resentment in the same breath. 

I think of the time we cared for our disabled daughter through two weeks of blizzard conditions with no power. No light, no heat, no comfort—just the raw exhaustion of trying to keep her alive in circumstances beyond our control.

We don’t always come to love these situations. But we can, like Paul, learn to accept weakness, stress, insults from those who don’t understand, medical crises, battles with insurance companies, and even disasters—because in our weakness, we discover a surprising strength. It’s not our own strength but the resilience of God’s Spirit working in us and the support of those God sends alongside us. 

Prayer:

Lord, I am weak. You know how weary I get, how torn between love and frustration, how guilty I sometimes feel for the mixed emotions of caregiving. Remind me that I don’t have to be strong on my own. Let your grace be enough for me today, and let your power rest on me, even in my weakness. In the name of Christ our Lord, Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Donn King.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

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