"Hang on a sec. I have to get my knee going," I said to my husband as we eased out of the car after grocery shopping.

I have committed to taking a walk everyday. I enjoy the brisk air announcing the long-awaited arrival of autumn. I have a queue full of interesting podcast episodes and varied routes plotted, depending on the length of walk I want to take. What I don't have, is a cooperative right knee. It barks at me. Once I take a few steps, it chills out and calms down, waiting to attack again once I sit. I find that if I just keep going, the pain relents and movement returns.

I think about the apostle Paul and his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7–9). We don’t know what it was: physical? Emotional? Spiritual? We know it stayed with him, no matter how much he prayed for it to go away. He describes it as:

"a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated."

Yeah... that tracks.

We each have our own thorns. Sometimes thorns live in our bodies; an uncooperative knee, an illness that lingers, a body that ages faster than we expected. Sometimes the thorns settle in our minds; the worry that hums beneath the surface, the memory that still aches. Sometimes they take shape in our relationships, our work, or our faith. Whatever form they take, they remind us that life is not free of pain or frustration.

The thorn isn't the whole story, though. Paul’s thorn taught him to rely on grace, to see that strength is often born from struggle. That’s true for us, too. The thorns don’t disqualify us from living fully; they invite us to live fuLLLy; to keep walking, and looking for the Light, Life, and Love walking with us. Our struggles remind us that God's power is perfected in our weakness, and keep us from thinking we've 'got this' all on our own.

Every step I take is a small act of defiance against giving up, a small act of faith that grace will be enough for today, and a reminder that any struggle I have is an opportunity to embrace God's strength instead of my own.

My wish for you this week, Reader, is that you’ll keep moving forward, whatever your thorn may be. May you find strength in persistence, gentleness in the struggle, and grace that steadies you with each step. That's the fiLLLed life.

Live a fiLLLed life, Melissa ​