In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 the Apostle Paul writes about what he terms his “thorn in the flesh”. He describes this “thorn” as have been given him to keep him “from being too elated” (or boastful) in his ministry. He goes on to report that, having prayed three times to the Lord to be relieved of this thorn, he had resigned himself to accepting it and trusting instead in God’s grace.
Scholars and preachers have speculated throughout history as to just what it was that Paul calls his thorn. A leading theory is that it may have been his poor eyesight, rendering him dependent on others in the writing of his letters. But we simply do not know for sure. All we do know is that God gave Paul a peace about this affliction, allowing him to accept it with this affirmation direct from the Lord: “My grace is sufficient for you.”
For the past several weeks I have been thinking about Paul’s thorny situation. In a small way, you see, I can relate. I don’t have poor eyesight and am thankful to live in a time when my vision deficiencies can be corrected with modern eye care. But I have developed an annoying health companion I would just as soon be done with.
In the second week of March I came down with a virus (RSV) that led to pneumonia and was accompanied by a full-blown ear infection. In my memory I’d never had an ear infection before, though I had once overcome pneumonia. I previously thought RSV or Respiratory Syncytial Virus is something only little children contracted. The Emergency Department Nurse Practitioner informed me that it can also be problematic for “older adults”. She said this in a way that let me know I was in that demographic, and that it was common for RSV to cause severe lung infections, like bronchitis or pneumonia.
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