II Corinthians 12 7And to keep me from being too elated by the abundance of revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. 8 Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me; 9 but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
I decided to go back to the scripture about Paul asking God to remove the thorn in his flesh. I suppose we could consider many things in our lives as thorns, whether physical, mental, or emotional. Sometimes we are the ones who decide to continue to live with the proverbial thorn even though we have the ability, but not the will, to get rid of it.
The Greenhouse
So, what did I mean in the title by “Prick It Out”? Pricking out is a method gardeners use to transplant seedlings into larger containers. Many times I use individual cell containers when starting seeds, but I also sow into a flat that has no cells. When those seedlings get large enough, they need to be “pricked out” and put into a larger pot where their root system can continue to grow before being ready to set outside.
Here is a photo montage of the process of pricking out in my greenhouse.
Give Yourself Room
Have you ever thought about taking yourself out of a crowded container and giving yourself room to grow? My crowded container seems to be my mind most of the time. It is crowded with thoughts of the needs of the family, farm, and cattle, but I also tend to cram it full of things not worth thinking about. The method I use for “pricking out” unnecessary thoughts so good thoughts have room to expand is saying in prayer “out of my mind and over to you, Dear Lord”. It certainly isn’t a fail-proof method, but it is a concrete thought/prayer that reorders my chaotic mind and allows me to turn the page. God unfortunately has to hear that prayer quite often.
It may be time to expand physically, emotionally, or mentally. Giving ourselves a new container with room to put down a strong and efficient root system is something we should work on periodically. May you grow faithfully each and every day!
He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”