You know, from the youngest to the oldest among us, we all have experienced difficulties,

different difficulties, different trials, but we all have experienced them.

From the bully in the school yard to the unexpected illness that hit us by surprise, we all face difficulties in life. We all face

trials of all kinds. Whether financial reversal or harassment on the job, we all face tough times

and trying circumstances.

Whether it is dealing with difficult people and unhappy marriages or fear of failure, we all

face tough times.

And whether you are battling depression or battling a persistent temptation in life, we all face those tough times, whether it is chronic

illness or crushing loneliness.

We all face different kind of trials.

We all face different kinds of problems.

We all face different kinds of difficulties. Every one of us, it is part of trials. We all face different kinds of problems. We all face different kinds of difficulties.

Every one of us, it is part of living. But sometimes when we face those blasting times in life,

those difficult times in life, we mistakenly call them a thorn in the flesh. I say mistakenly because these are not necessarily the thorn

in the flesh that Paul talks about in 2nd Corinthiansius chapter 12. Those are the garden varieties

of trials and difficulties that Paul himself faced a lot more than 10 people in 10

lifetimes. Let me just show you this garden variety of trials and difficulties that Paul has

faced many physical and emotional grief and pain.

I'm going to show you what I mean where Paul does not call these difficulties in life,

these things that he faced everywhere he went.

He doesn't call those a thorn in the flesh.

He reserved that term to a very specific thing, which I want to explain to you today.

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