Monday Morning Manna: Pain in the Neck, Thorn in the Flesh, and Sufficient Grace

Referring to an annoyance, or a nuisance, as “a pain in the neck” is a colloquial expression that dates from about 1900. My first “pain in the neck” came when I was fifteen years old and was involved in an automobile accident, sustaining a broken second vertebrae of my neck. The healing took nine months. It literally was an annoyance, and a nuisance. Due to recent pain in my neck, I underwent an x-ray, an MRI, a Myelogram, a CT Scan, consulted with my primary care physician, a sports chiropractor, and a surgeon. The result showed a couple of bulging discs, and the need for eventual surgery – another annoyance/nuisance. Ever have a “pain in the neck” – an annoyance/nuisance? While the words annoyance and nuisance do not appear in the Bible, nor does the term, “pain in the neck,” there is a similar term. The Apostle Paul shared about his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). For him, it was an annoyance/nuisance, a “pain in the neck.” “Pain in the neck” or “thorn in the flesh,” While Paul and I describe different conditions, we have God’s response in common – “My grace is sufficient” (2 Corinthians 12:9). I don’t know what my future holds, but I know, as did Paul, that God’s grace is sufficient. Whether you have a “pain in the neck” or a “thorn in the flesh” or some other description of an annoyance/nuisance, God’s grace is likewise sufficient for you.

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford.