Physical Thorns

One of the possible answers to the identity of Paul’s thorn in his flesh is that he had an illness like Malaria or a serious eye condition. That’s based in part on the use of the word “flesh” as a reference to his body and partly on him referring to eye problems in Galatians 4:14-15. This is not conclusive, but at least a possibility.

Have you ever had, or currently have, a painful physical thorn in your flesh?

My most painful thorn, which was much more like a dagger or spear, was Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN). It’s an electric shock-type pain that can be triggered by eating, smiling, chewing or talking, drinking hot or cold drinks, or walking outside in cold weather. Even just moving my head could set off a flare-up. Doesn’t leave much! Wikipedia refers to TN as “one of the worst pains known to humankind, and ‘suicide disease’. I had just started writing “The Point of Your Thorn” and wondered if I was going to be Exhibit A on how to deal with unrelenting pain and discover purpose in this pain.

The book of Job in many ways is a parallel to Paul’s description of his thorn in the flesh. Job encountered multi-dimensional human pain, which included intense physical agony. The ulcers and scabs all over his body – “from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head” (Job 2:7) – itched so badly that he had to scrape himself with a piece of broken pottery.

In an informal survey, when friends were asked, “What is your thorn in the flesh?” many described chronic physical pain, including, bowel cancer, lupus, fibromyalgia, kidney failure, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), brittle diabetes, ulcerated colitis. Quite a list.

Your pain may not have a name, but it is just as real and debilitating to you as any in that survey. The question is, “How do you deal with it if God’s grace is so abundant and available?”

One thing all those people had in common was the heart cry to God to remove their pain—for him to intervene and heal them. In some cases, God did exactly that. In others, nothing seems to happen at all. No healing. No relief from physical pain. The situation may even deteriorate. No thorn removal. But something even more significant happens. The person changes. Their attitude is transformed. It’s as if God says, “I will give you something much better: my grace—a grace that transforms us into grateful human beings.

I love the story John Kavanagh tells of a grateful old woman he met in an extended-care hospital. She had what he calls “wasting disease” (a neurodegenerative disease, which is a disorder that destroys nerve cells, particularly in the brain). One of John’s students visited her several times. He kept going back because he felt the force of the woman’s joy. The student asked, “What if you couldn’t move your arms and legs?” She said, “I’d be so happy I could move my neck.” Next visit he asked, “What if you couldn’t move your neck?” She answered, “I would be so happy I could hear and see.” Gently he asked, “What if you couldn’t hear or see?” She said, “I’d be so grateful you came to visit me.”

God’s grace is abundant and available. If you are in pain, keep asking for his intervention, but also rest in his transforming work, as he transforms you into an even more grateful person.

If you ever had, or currently have, a painful physical thorn in your flesh, what is your response to it? Why?

Excerpts from The Point of Your Thorns: Finding Purpose in Your Pain

by Rowland Forman