St. Paul was plagued by something, something that constantly brought him to the brink of despair. Time after time, he prayed that God would remove the burden. Surely it was a curse, a sign of God’s disapproval.

"If only I believed more...then this thorn would be removed," Paul once thought and with such thinking the pain grew even more pronounced. But then he realized that even here, God could work. Even with the pain, even with the burden. Indeed, it was through this thorn that his faith grew stronger. It was here that Paul began to understand the paradox of this strange and wondrous faith of ours: In weakness we are made strong. In defeat comes victory.

To love a world that often hates us, to forgive those who turn their backs, to offer charity when what we are tempted to do is hoard our money...in these acts of foolishness and failure come the miracles of God.

We miss out on God when we expect God’s appearance to come only in success, victory and power. More often, God comes in the quiet acts of kindness, mercy and grace, in the midst of the ordinariness of our lives.