Real Life by Peggi Tustan

Welcome to Real Life. What’s more spiritual than weakness? “Our strength grows out of our weakness.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson My name is Peggi Tustan and I am a weak. I often struggle with anxiety, insomnia, and… Sorry, that’s the extent of vulnerability I can handle today. Because we hate to admit our weaknesses, don’t we? We want to appear strong, vibrant, and successful! In contrast, the Apostle Paul boasts of his weakness. I never think of Paul as weak, do you? Not Paul, the evangelist, healer, church planter, Epistle writer, and saint extraordinaire. However, amidst his impressive resume, Paul confesses to a weakness so intense it tormented him—a thorn in his flesh. He repeatedly begged God to remove it. Suddenly, we can all relate to super-saint Paul. For though we all have strengths and weaknesses, it is our weaknesses, our difficulties, our thorns in the flesh that torment us. What’s surprising is Paul’s thorn had a God-ordained purpose. Though Paul begged, God refused to remove ...