By Kathy Scott
"And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.(2 Cor.12:7-9a)"
The Lord told Paul, "My grace is sufficient," after he had petitioned Him three times to remove his "thorn in the flesh". Life is full of our own "thorns in the flesh". Trials, troubles, and temptations abound seemingly around every corner. Each one can serve to our benefit by making our faith stronger, but only if we allow God's will to be accomplished in our lives. Sadly, many will allow hardships to take them further away from the only One who can remove them or help us bear them.
On occasion we may petition God to remove certain trials and troubles from our way and sometimes He does for which we praise and thank Him. At other times He surely answers, "My grace is sufficient." For my husband and me, one of the greatest blessings and comforts for life's difficulties came in the smallest and simplest of packages marked, "My grace is sufficient."
When the Father-in-Heaven knew we needed it most we found ourselves the "parents" of Bandit, a little dog. He is a pug, complete with four legs, flattened nose, wrinkles, and a personality that makes us at times wonder if maybe the Father had just a little extra fun making him. We received him at a very low point emotionally and spiritually in our lives. We questioned our Father and our own faith, and yet we continued to struggle and hang on. You might doubt me and perhaps question what I am saying, but we are completely convinced that God sent Bandit to us.
With
his pug nose, curled tail, and rotund appearance, Bandit has taught us a lot
over the last two years, having become "parents" again in our old age! He
has given us a genuine insight into God's love, patience, and the abounding
nature of His grace. How? By teaching us, through his example, what
contentment really is. You see, Bandit never grumbles or complains. His joy,
his contentment is found in being with us. He knows that his adopted "mommy
and daddy" will take care of him. He has a loyal heart that forgets at times
how really small he is, in comparison to what he might be protecting us
from. He has rather large brown eyes that will melt your heart in their
innocence and we often joke about him being "Mr. Personality Plus".
The little antics and adventures that Bandit gets caught up in often have us laughing uncontrollably. He frequently makes us forget about our worries. He loves us unconditionally and his trust in us is implicit. Through Bandit's example we have learned that God loves us and He will never leave us. We must trust the Father and be faithful to Him to the very end of life. This little dog with such a big heart often humbles us . He is a constant reminder that there is a God, The Creator of all life. We know and understand better at this point in our lives that all is well with God and regardless of what happens, God is still in control.
His grace really is sufficient to help us weather the storms of life. At the end of our prayers we say, " Amen" and indicate that it is so. So it must be that God cares for us!
