A Word about Toughness

Today I want to share a word about Toughness, as I comment on 2 Corinthians 12:6-10. This passage reads:

For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

As I write this, although it is August in Alabama, I am wearing an Army aviator’s glove on my hand. No, I am not channeling my inner Michael Jackson. I am wearing it because I recently was unboxing a table for my wife, and my pocketknife slipped. Four stiches, three different stations in the Emergency Room, two hours, and one tetanus shot later I was back home from the hospital with a massive bandage covering a small but deep wound in the web of my hand. I am wearing the aviator’s glove to hold in place a much smaller bandage on that awkward spot on the web of my hand between my thumb and forefinger.

The thing that surprised me about this accident, was that when I looked at the wound, I almost passed out. I felt flushed, lightheaded, and nauseated. I sat down with my head between my knees until the feeling passed, all the while holding pressure on the wound with a paper towel. See! All those combat first aid classes did come in handy after all!

After a few minutes, I taped some gauze in place and headed to the local hospital. Mercifully, since it was a Monday evening, the emergency department was not crowded, and I was back home at the scene of the crime . . . I mean accident . . .  sooner than I had expected.

What I really didn’t expect was to almost pass out over a non-life-threatening wound. The knife did go about half an inch into my hand, which is a thing, but I wasn’t going to bleed to death. I was quite embarrassed about my lack of toughness, to be honest.

TOUGH MEN:

Contrast my wimpiness with the experience of FBI Agent Edmundo Mireles during the infamous Miami shoot-out of 1986. Early in the firefight, Special Agent Mireles was hit by a rifle bullet which shattered the bones in his forearm. Despite his unspeakably painful wound, Special Agent Mireles operated his 12-gauge pump shotgun with his one good hand, putting down the two assailants and finishing the fight. Although he never regained complete use of his wounded arm, he continued his service in the FBI until his retirement in 2004. 

There is no doubt that Special Agent Mireles was a tough man, but as we can see in our focal passage for today, so was Paul.

TOUGH SITUATIONS:

We don’t know for sure what ailment or injury bedeviled Paul so much. The only clue we have is that Paul needed to have a secretary write his letters for him, although he would add a greeting in his own hand. In Galatians, Paul made his greeting by saying, in essence, “See how big I have to make my letters when I write?” So, apparently his illness or injury affected his hand or eyes, or both. In any case, Paul’s affliction was chronic and severe, such that he sought relief from God on multiple occasions.

We know that God always answers our prayers. In this case, He told Paul, “No.” God went on to say, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” So, what did Paul do? What could he do?

• He could curse God and hope for death. That was an option presented to Job.
• He could seek a cure and a solution for his problems in other places. This is what King Saul did.
• He could lean into his affliction and see if God was as good as His Word. This is the attitude of the hymn which says, “Trust me, try me, prove me saith the Lord of Hosts and see if a blessing, an unmeasured blessing, I will not pour out on thee.”

Of course, since I gave the bottom-line up front with the passage from 2 Corinthians 12, we know what choice Paul made. Because of God’s faithfulness and His promises, Paul made the decision to be tough. He made the decision to rest in God, knowing that God would help him to be strong.

TOUGH DECISIONS:

So, what about us? Are we tough? 

Well, I guess I am not as tough as I thought I was, since I almost passed out from a flesh wound. Toughness, however, is not measured by our initial reactions to an event. It is what we do after the initial shock wears off that counts.

When Special Agent Mireles was hit by that rifle bullet, he was knocked to the ground in shock, and then agony. As the bullets flew around him, he too had to make a choice. He could lie on the ground and wait for the fatal shot, or he could fight back. He admitted that he got angry, and that motivated him to fight back. He won that fight because he decided in his will to be tough.

Toughness is the commitment to endure hardship in order to achieve a goal, complete a mission, or realize a vision. In 2 Timothy 2:3, Paul instructed his protégé, “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” This, of course, is the key to toughness for a Christian. We can be tough because we know that God has our back. In this case, He not only protects us from behind, but He also puts steel into our spine.

So, if you come upon hard times in your walk with the Lord, and you feel weak, or if you get knocked down, don’t worry. Like Paul, and like Timothy, you can be tough, and you can persevere for the Cause of Christ. Just remember the exhortation of Joshua who told the Children of Israel before they crossed the line of departure at the River Jordan and began their campaign to take the Promised Land, “Be bold and be strong, for the Lord your God is with you!”

When God is with us, we can "hang tough!"

Every Blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt