September 20 | Dealing with Your Thorn in the Flesh

Today’s reading from Ecclesiastes 4–6 and 2 Corinthians 12 invites us to reflect on the limitations we face in life and how God forms us when circumstances don't unfold as we would choose. Both passages challenge the assumption that strength, success, achievement, or control can provide the security we seek, reminding us that formation often happens as we become more aware of our dependence on God.In Ecclesiastes 4–6, the Teacher examines work, achievement, relationships, wealth, worship, and the endless pursuit of more. He exposes the exhausting rhythm of building an identity around what we can accomplish or possess and points us toward a life received from God rather than one controlled through our own effort. Even our patterns of worship call for humility, awareness, and a willingness to recognize that God is God and we are not.In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul describes a persistent weakness he calls a “thorn in the flesh.” Although he repeatedly asks God to remove it, Paul is invited to experience Christ’s grace within his limitation rather than apart from it. His response reveals a growing awareness that his calling does not depend on appearing powerful or self-sufficient, because Christ's strength can be most visible where Paul knows he is weak.Together, these passages invite us to notice where our desire for control, achievement, or independence may be shaping us. They encourage us to sit honestly with our limitations and consider how God may be forming a deeper dependence on Him through the very places we would most like Him to change.