Last week, I stopped by my parents' house and was treated to an opportunity... yard work. I wasn't expecting to work, but when you pull up to your parent's house, only to find your dad on his hands and knees and weeding a bed, you go to work. After we finished collecting all the weeds, we started moving them over to where they needed to get picked up. On the way there, my dad pointed out to me that he had made a small pile of tree clippings that needed to be moved as well. When I readied myself to move these branches, I saw a familiar and unfortunate, sight - Thorns. And these were not ordinary thorns, these thorns we born and bred to draw blood... and then some! I initially decided to get some gloves, but after close examination realized that I should be able to grab between the thorns, and thus be able to do the work I needed to do without the gloves. 

 

In the Christian walk, we often encounter "thorns;" the defenses and walls we and other people build up in our lives in response to the Sin that has hurt us. Perhaps you can even think of a person you know that has more than their fair share of "thorns" surrounding their life - they are quick to anger, insultive, judgmental, or just plain rude. These are the sort of people that you know you are called to love, but you prefer to do it from a distance, or at least with a pair of gloves on.

 

In truth, we all have thorns, some more than others, but we have all got them in our lives because we have all been maimed and harmed by the brokeness in our world. That said, there is no person, not a single child of God, who doesn't also have a few smooth areas - places where they can and need to be touched and held. The trick is to pay enough attention not just to the the potential sting of their thorns, but to the places between the thorns. When we are able to that sort of work, perhaps the healing that Christ desires can actually happen, and their thorns can being to fall away. 

 

 

But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. - Luke 6:27-28

 

Robert A. Perales