Fruitful Thorns

“But I want you to know…that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel…that my chains are in Christ.” Philippians 1:12-13

I just love how God works when we don’t even ask Him for anything. Whether He is answering a prayer or just confirming a thought His activity is all around us. This morning a dear friend of mine was texting me regarding circumstances in her family. Hope was on the rise in her situation, and it was a great way to start my morning. I told her that everything I am today is a compilation of the heartaches I’ve experienced and the poor decisions I’ve made. God has used every beautiful and ugly thing about my past to grow my faith. As soon as I began my Bible Study I was directed to the passage where Paul was imprisoned. The passage paints the same picture…that everything that has happened to him has ended up being an encouragement for others, and a new level of faith. Why is that? Because Paul fully understood that people would be chained either to their circumstances or chained to their God. ‘He is in physical confinement, help captive. However, he does not allow his chains to shackle him spiritually.’ What Matters Most, Karen Ehman, p. 20.

I have met people whose past circumstances have shackled them emotionally, doing nothing to bring fruit to their testimony. They remain victims of their circumstances and do so without apology. Others come to mind that live their lives bold and courageous being shackled to God…trusting Him in all things and for all times. These are the Paul’s of our time, and we are called to use our thorns to be fruitful. We are to share our stories of cancer with those who suffer with the disease. We are to open our grieved hearts and kneel with those who must say goodbye to loved ones. We are to stand our ground when God’s truth is threatened. We are to tell our stories of prodigal children, unfaithful spouses, or financial hardship. Thorns in all people…needing expression to make sense of the pain.

There is great fruitfulness in the message that is born from thorns. We must be bold and willing to share our gut-wrenching times with those who need hope. When hope is restored life is worth living. May we all have the desire to consider our thorns and share hope.

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick. But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12.