When Thorns Line Our Path

We all want to be loved, accepted, appreciated for who we are.

When someone misinterprets our intentions or wrongly judges us it can cut deep inside, especially if we aren’t able to defend ourselves or if it comes from those closest to us.

This blog was birthed after such an experience when out of the blue I was left feeling both shocked and deflated. However, attempting to defend yourself to someone who is already certain they have a clear picture of you can prove to be fruitless, resulting in more heartache. That’s a very lonely place.

Though in my case I prayed for release, I could see no way out of the sadness that dominated my every thought. I couldn’t even put into words how I felt without tears welling up. How could I share this with anyone? Who could I even talk to about what I was going through? I’m the one who tells others to trust God in every circumstance, to cast every care on Him because He cares for us. Why wasn’t I seeing my prayers answered?

The saddest time I experienced was during worship in church. I knew God was my answer, I had already cast all my care on Him, He knew what I was going through but there was no escape from my thoughts. I had been wronged. Part of me wanted to defend myself so they understood my side of the story. I felt completely alone.

Then one morning the preacher shared a message about the Parable of the sower about planting seed in good ground if we want it to grow. If you’re unfamiliar with the story you can read it for yourself by clicking on the link here in Matthew 13:1-23, also repeated in Mark 4:1-20 and Luke 8:4-15.

Though I’d heard this parable many times before and believed I understood it’s meaning, the way the preacher explained it on this occasion brought perfect clarity to why God remained silent and I was ‘stuck’ with my cares!

God had been listening to my cries for help and had placed me in my church ready to listen that morning. And hearing this message released me from all the hurt I’d been harbouring, changing my understanding forever about my role when dealing with hurt inflicted by those closest to us! I was finally free to climb up out of that pit.

Now I’m sharing this revelation with you and all who find themselves stuck in a hole, with a broken heart.

As the preacher talked about the stony, thorny ground etc. he said something that changed my life. He said people who wrong us, no matter what they do, can send thorns into our heart. Those thorns are our responsibility.

Just like we have to pull thorns from the soil before we can plant a good crop, it’s our job to pull out those thorns in our heart. No-one else can do it for us.

Then he shared the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds, found in Matthew 13:24-30 NLT

He said we can do nothing about the one who’s wronged us. Like God’s instruction to leave the weeds amongst the wheat until harvest time when the weeds are separated from the wheat crop, it’s God’s job to deal with the weeds not mine. My job was to let go of the hurt in my heart.

And just as the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds says, at harvest time, God will deal with the one who wronged us. It’s not our job to retaliate, it’s His to change someone.

Often unknowingly, we all can offend others because the way we see things may have no bearing on truth. We only see things through the understanding of our own experiences. When that happens we don’t want others confronting us, only God can deal effectively with the flaw in us!

God wants us to leave the one who misjudged us to Him to deal with. It’s not our job to defend ourselves, to make us look better. This was life changing for me!

Something that really stood out to me was when he explained that a pebble in our shoe, if it’s left unattended, will cause way more pain than a boulder that lies across the path of our future. When we don’t deal with what’s cut through our heart it takes us to a place where some even want to end their life in a bid to gain relief.

A pebble in our shoe, if it’s not removed, over time, will cause way more pain. It’s our job is to deal with the thorns because they will cripple us until we remove them.

But the final word goes to Jesus. He wore a crown of thorns that day He was crucified on a cross so that we could be free.

I never really understood the significance of that crown of thorns Jesus wore until I heard this message, designed just for me.

Following, Jesus has the final word about our Great Cloud of Witnesses:
As for us, we have all of these great witnesses who encircle us like clouds. So we must let go of every wound that has pierced us and the sin we so easily fall into. Then we will be able to run life’s marathon race with passion and determination, for the path has been already marked out before us.

We look away from the natural realm and we fasten our gaze onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. His example is this: Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God!

So consider carefully how Jesus faced such intense opposition from sinners who opposed their own souls, so that you won’t become worn down and cave in under life’s pressures. Hebrews 12:1-3 TPT

Jesus also wants to free us from the tourment that overtakes us sometimes. We can’t just let go of things on our own. We need the strength of God’s Holy Spirit to fully be free. But the good thing about Jesus is that He already did the hard work to set us free, we just have to tell Him we need Him and His Spirit will begin His work in you.

If you want to know more there are many blogs here at CapturingSunrise.com that will help you discover the truth. Click here to learn more about accepting Jesus as your personal Saviour and Lord

Please share this to help bring light and hope to someone else’s world!
2019 Elaine Costin – Capturing Sunrise / Blog

Please note: I can not take credit for any of these illustrations, found today on the internet but I’m grateful to whoever designed them for sharing their creative gift.