Ouch! a thorn!

Please, get it out!

It digs so deeply

I scream and I shout

the pain 

incessantly 

irritating

bugging me

I see the pain

I hate it so

God, take away

make it go

Persecution

all around

Yet, making me

steadfast, sound

But what about?

the thorn, the pain?

It’s still there

The thorn remain?

Yes, a blessing 

I’m thankful now

Like 20/20

vision, wow!

If the thorn

wasn’t there

where would be

My faith, my prayer

my Bible reading

my love for HIM

where would I be

Vanilla, dim?

A life less living?

for the Lord?

Put on a shelf?

less reward?

Stagnant, forgotten?

comfort zone?

Never pressured?

less alone?

accepted by?

the world around?

NOW persecuted

falling down

on my knees

daily rise

Glorify Jesus

With seeing eyes

ears that hear

Him calling me

Here is what

You’re called to be

Life has not been

easy for you

but this is what

I created you to do

stand out different

push back sin

Here’s a church

preaching – I WIN

Here are friends

just like you

Encourage you forward

to be so true

Be faithful within

this Holy War

Remember when 

the veil was tore

And you could see

with Christian truth!

Now onward, forward

be living proof

of hope

of salvation

Share faith

through the nation

don’t leave

don’t run

don’t panic

…not done

You’re here for a reason

right now, at this time

and I’m here and I carry

you through, you are mine!

Life isn’t meant

to be easy for you

and here is My cross

you’ll carry it too

“Yes, Lord,” I answer

I offer my life

I count it all blessing

the hurt, pain, and strife

I’ll rise more up like me

Courage will soar

and we will be grateful 

and faithful, Dear Lord

So thank you for thorns

And the pressure I feel

Even more, Jesus,

I know you are real.

I see that you make

What evil will try

Glorify You

And so we all cry

“Praise you, Sweet Jesus

we faithful, remain

we thank you for thorns

And the blessing of pain!”

 

I have some thoughts from yesterday. I shared them with my husband and I want to share them with you too.
I think there is a Jesus culture all around the world and all around our nation in particular.
As I have been reading my Bible I’m understanding more and more about persecution. Paul, for example, in 2 Corinthians 12:7–10 talked about the thorn in his side. He begged Jesus to remove it – yet God did not – and eventually Paul became thankful for it because the persecution allowed him to suffer for Jesus. “I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong!”
Friends. Let’s suffer thankfully, just like Paul because the persecution we are experiencing for Jesus is making us so much closer to Him. Grounding is in our faith in a way that no other time could. We are experiencing a blessing. A growth spurt of faith that compares to no other time in American History.
I think especially in California the fact that we are Christians is a threat. It’s creating a culture that we are blessed to live in. The pressure against us has created a love that surpasses anything I could have produced on my own. It is from God and an answer back to the attacks of the evil one. Praise God for that!
This cancel-Jesus-culture is no where else like this in our country. (I’m assuming) The churches are not being persecuted in other states so badly. And people are not so strange like the strangeness that Californians produce. It’s gross, really.
So all that being said, I am thankful that I get to grow like this. I’m thankful for my “thorn” and I am thankful for the fruit it provides.
God does nothing by accident. This is exactly where my family needs to be. To experience this so that we can be warriors for Christ. And our children are living this too. What a blessing! A life changing moment of growth for them too. Let’s communicate love, appreciation and a will-not-give-up attitude with our Christian families on a daily basis. Love you guys!