The Thorn in my flesh

There has been a thorn in my flesh most of my life.  It revolves around these driving problems I have had that hinder me in my life.  The apostle Paul describes the Thorn in the Flesh in his life.
Paul discusses this thorn in the flesh in his life in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.  This thorn in the flesh was given to him to make sure he would not become arrogant or conceited, showing him his weakness and enabling him to depend on God for everything.  He says in 2 Corinthians 12: 7, "To keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpasingly  great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me." He describes this thorn in the flesh as something that will not go away.  He precedes in verse 8, "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me."
He then continues to describe this thorn as a hardship, weakness, that was put in place to help him depend on God and see his grace.  He further describes in verse 9, "But he said to me my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness."  Paul goes into discussion of how this weakness in him has given him the ability to depend on God.  This thorn has given him the ability to trust in God's grace and made him humble.
Paul ends this discussion of his Thorn in the Flesh by describing how depending on God in this struggle has shown the power of Christ's movement within himself.  In the last section of verse nine and ten the apostle says, "There I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power my rest in me.  That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul ends this his diatribe on his Thorn in the Flesh concluding that in essence that Christ's power is made perfect in his weaknesses.  This weakness has helped Paul realize how much he needs to depend on God in his grace and mercy.  It has given him perspective and humbled him in how much he is nothing without his relationship with Jesus Christ.  Before Christ, Paul persecuted Christians, now Paul is persecuted for the sake of Christ.  Paul describes in verse ten of how Paul has come to accept this weakness for the trouble that is means in order for Christ to be shown through him even if it means that he is persecuted for the sake of Christ.
This weakness that I have has been really hard in my life.  It has made me doubt God early in my walk with him in my junior year of high school.  I almost gave up my faith during that time. I was mad at God and the world after this car wreck in which was my fault. God put some friends in my life to lead me back to relationship with him.
Other times, it has helped me see my need for God and how much I need him in his power.  It has made me humble as well and given me perspective.  This Thorn in my Flesh has been hard but it has helped me realize that God is in control and is sovereign. It helped me not to boast in myself or things of this world as Paul describes. Jesus Christ is made perfect in my weakness.
This Thorn in My Flesh has developed my prayer life as well.  It has increased my ability to depend and abide in Christ at times.  It has helped me realize as Paul says in verse 10, when I am weak then I am strong.  God has made me realize that I can't do this life on my own.  God knows everything about me, every thought I am thinking, and what I am going through because he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins, who knows what he go through on a daily basis.
Another important aspect I have learned through this weakness is that I am not my own.  God bought me though his Son's death on the Christ for our sins.  For he chose us before the world began as it says in Ephesians 1:11, "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will."   He is sovereign and in control of our life despite the struggles that we have to go through in order for him to conform his to his image and get to where we wan to go in life.  God's plan may not always end up what I want, I just have to trust him through it all.
As this post comes to as conclusion I just want to say though this struggle has been really hard I am just trying to trust in God's goodness through it all.  Though this weakness has killed me at times, looking back on my life I can see the God is sovereign in through it all.  In our weakness, we are strong.