The Question Isn’t If We Will Have Thorns In Our Lives. The Question Is, What Do We Do With Them?

“Back In The Day,” one of my favorite songs, was “Every Rose Has Its Thorns”  by Poison. Even in my twenties, I thought the band members were peculiar. Now that I am seventy, I realize that much of how they dressed and acted was about entertaining. I still think they were weird! But the lyrics to the song contain a lot of truth: even the most beautiful and desirable things in life have downsides or imperfections.

All of us have thorns in our lives. For most of us, especially in this retirement season, the thorns are more about health-related problems. So the question isn’t whether we will have thorns at this stage in life, but rather, what do we do with them?”

I believe this season of my life is the best, yet describing it as “hard at times” would be an understatement. For the past thirty years, since undergoing a complete gastrectomy due to cancer, I have experienced anemia or been on the verge of it, constantly dealing with significant fatigue. Additionally, for three decades, I have been unable to lie down and must sleep in a sitting position. I must admit that there have been times when I’ve grown tired of being tired and have wanted to give up.

And when that happens, I am reminded of a guy named Paul, who said, ”Even though I have received such incredible things from God, to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh. Three different times, I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So, now I brag about my weaknesses to show how the power of Christ can work through me.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9)

I have found that when it comes to the difficult times in my life, if we don’t use them as a stepping stone to grow spiritually and mentally stronger, they soon become a stumbling block to depression and bitterness.

A few months back, during my annual physical, my Doctor told me “again” that I was “severely” anemic. And again, he sent me to a hematologist. I had taken iron infusions in the past with no real success. However, this time the Doctor told me that, given the many advances in the past few years, he was confident that he could raise my iron levels, thereby giving me a lot more energy. During the past three weeks, I have received two iron fusion treatments.

One day last week, I got up at 5:30 a.m., worked for a couple of hours on emails, our budget, and my blog page. Then attended my men’s group from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. After that, I went to the gym where I walked a mile on the treadmill and worked out for an hour. Then I went home, mowed the entire lawn, and spread fertilizer. I felt good all afternoon, even staying up until nine thirty 😁.

This past Friday, we went to play putt-putt with 12 of our friends (who all had way too much fun for our age) at 4 p.m. Then, we went out for a laughter-filled dinner that lasted until 7 p.m. I finished up the evening by doing an errand for our kids and finally bringing home our three-year-old grandson, Malachi, to spend the night with us.

Whatever thorn you are experiencing, I want you to know that with prayer and the power of God’s Holy Spirit, if you don’t give up, you will become spiritually, mentally, and, in my case, after thirty years, perhaps physically stronger. Or like Apostle Paul, even if God doesn’t take it away, you can use it as a stepping stone to a fantastic life of glorifying Him.

Something to remember is that, although the iron treatments certainly made a difference in my energy level, I know that choosing to make a lifestyle change (by eating healthier and exercising regularly) eight years ago is what made the fusion treatments so much more effective.

If I could offer you any encouragement, I would say, no matter the thorns you face, let them steer you into deeper conversations with God. Choose to treat your body as if it’s the only one you’ll ever have because it is. Start eating healthy and exercising at least forty-five minutes a day, and don’t give up.