A farmer’s best plow horse fell into a deep pit, and every effort to pull him out had been exhausted. Finally, the farmer told his two sons there was nothing left to do but to bury the horse. So, they loaded two trucks with dirt, and backing them up to the opening of the pit, they began the process of shoveling it in.
The first shovel full of dirt hit the old horse square in the face. He snorted and sneezed, shaking the dirt off and stomped around in anger. Consequently, every shovel full of dirt hit the old horse somewhere, and in response he shook it off and trampled the dirt under foot – until finally, he had put enough dirt under his feet so that he was able to walk out of the pit.
The moral of the story is clear. What do you do when life’s worst problems hit you square in the face? You can feel sorry for yourself and let the problems bury you, or you can shake them off and trample them under foot until you eventually rise above them. This is exactly what the apostle Paul did. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul described many of the things he had suffered. He had been shipwrecked and spent a day and a night in the deep. He lived in danger of his own countrymen, as well as others. He had been beaten, imprisoned, hungry, naked and cold – but through it all, he was not cast down or destroyed.
In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote of another problem he suffered, calling it a “thorn in the flesh.” He described it as “…a messenger of Satan which was sent to buffet him.”
With confidence, Paul prayed to be delivered from his affliction, but God did not remove it from him, not because God was unsympathetic toward Paul’s affliction or because he no longer loved Paul, but because God knew that he would receive greater glory through Paul’s life with the “thorn” than without it. Paul was also to learn that God’s grace was sufficient for every situation, even those adverse in nature.
While many would grumble and complain, Paul’s response was that God’s strength would be made perfect in his weakness. Therefore, he would accept his infirmity that the power of Christ would rest upon him. That is what I call putting life’s problems under foot and using them to climb greater heights of spiritual blessing.
Not every experience of our life will be good, and certainly not to our liking. But God has promised that all things work together for good to those who love him, and who are the called according to His purpose.
Though we may not always understand His workings, we can be assured that He who began this good work in us will complete it in the day of Christ’s return.
Jerry L. Dunn is pastor of Oak Street Baptist Church, 605 E. Oak Street, Kingman
