The gift of spiritual handicaps

Have you ever had something in your life that you felt like God should free you from, because it's just causing you pain and frustration? I have. Reading Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 12 brings comfort that God is ultimately loving me when he gives me these "thorns in the flesh," because I have to look outside my self and depend on Him. This comes from the Message:

"...I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,

'My grace is enough; it's all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.'

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become. "