Thrice - 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

12:7 - Paul has just made a seemingly contradictory statement, that he “will not glory, but in mine infirmities.” I can’t think of a single person that I know who would “glory” in their infirmities, I know I wouldn’t. But apparently, it’s all about how you view the purpose and potential of those infirmities. I view them as sources of pain and as restricting my progress. But Paul seems to view them as an opportunity to grow closer to Christ. I wonder how much different my life would be if I considered my problems to be invitations to become closer to the Savior, to increase my faith. I’m going to think about this more. One of the “infirmities” mentioned is what Paul calls “a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.” I think one of my problems in accepting Paul’s point of view in my own life is the idea that if I work on my flaws to the point that through the grace of God, they can become strengths to me, that I will become so self-centered that it will undo all my progress. When I say it like that, clearly it doesn’t make any rational sense, but emotionally, that’s how I feel. The other side to that coin is just as applicable, if my infirmities become strengths to me, then I will just be cursed with another infirmity, and maybe that one will be worse then the one I just worked on. At least this is what I know. So, it’s a very complex concept, and I guess both of those beliefs can be overcome with a trust that when the time comes that my infirmity becomes a strength, God will not abandon me if I stay close to him. I can remain humble and endure whatever trials come up, and if one of my infirmities has been turned into a strength through my work with the Savior, then I will be that much stronger to endure whatever else comes next. Whatever this “thorn in the flesh” that plagued Paul is not specified or even hinted at, but has been widely speculated about for thousands of years. I’ve read about a couple different trains of thought on this, first speculates that it was something that Paul was born with and had dealt with his whole life. But the word “given” in verse 7 might imply that Paul knew where it came from and acquired it as an adult. The IM comments, “Many commentators have speculated on what Paul’s infirmity might have been, proposing that perhaps it was epilepsy, a serious visual impairment, or malaria. It appears that one of the positive results of this affliction was that it helped Paul avoid becoming proud. Weakness can lead to humble reliance upon the Lord.” 12:8-9 - If we truly believe that all things will work together for our good, then we have to believe what Paul learned from his affliction is true, even after he “besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” The IM quotes Elder Richard G. Scott as teaching, “Recognize that some challenges in life will not be resolved here on earth… He gave Paul strength to compensate so he could live a most meaningful life. He wants you to learn how to be cured when that is His will and how to obtain strength to live with your challenge when He intends it to be an instrument for growth. In either case the Redeemer will support you.” This is one concept that I struggled with for many years. I heard all growing up that God hears and answers prayers, and what I assumed that meant was that if you pray enough and with sufficient faith, you would get what you asked for. This led to the belief that if you didn’t get what you prayed for, then it was because you lacked faith, so it was an issue that you could fix. What would have been good to know at that time was that sometimes, the answer is “no” and there’s nothing you can do to change that. The “no” can become easier to bear or something like that, but often it’s a hand-picked challenge based on your personality and potential intended to help you progress spiritually. It was a liberating and empowering day when I learned that sometimes the answer to your prayers is “no.” When Paul “besought the Lord thrice,” I doubt that it meant that Paul casually mentioned his desire to be rid of his affliction on the way out of his evening prayers three times and then gave up. I’m confident Paul’s three attempts to convince the Lord to remove his obstacle were planned and intense. But finally, his answer came after three times trying, but it was no. Because of this answer, Paul was able to make the connection between suffering with infirmities and coming closer to Jesus while enduring them. It’s like the mindset of “if I have to suffer endless torture it would be worth it to be with you.” We don’t usually think about that phrase in this context, but I think that it fits here more than any other way I’ve seen it. 12:10 – If suffering trials is what it takes to get closer to God, then Paul says that he takes pleasure in “infirmities,” “reproaches,” “necessities,” “persecutions,” and “distress for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” He’s saying if it takes suffering to bring us closer to Christ, then bring it on because even though the pain might bring me down physically and emotionally, I can be brought up and strong because of the grace of God. That’s really a different way of looking at life, because like I said earlier, most people wouldn’t welcome affliction, I mean we’ve been biologically programed to avoid pain and suffering of all kinds at all cost. So to welcome it in order to be closer to the Savior is a very advanced state of mind, and it makes sense because all that biology would have to be reprogramed. This all follows along with the principle of overcoming the natural man. Human nature is to avoid anything unpleasant but God’s nature is to endure unpleasantness as it brings us closer to Him.