Living Life by Design

In Acts 14, the apostle Paul speaks of ‘all that God had done through them’ (v.27), in spite of his many limitations. For starters, his appearance was very unimpressive (2 Corinthians 10:10). One description of Paul’s physical appearance at this time (in a second-century document called ‘The Acts of Paul and Thecla’) describes him as, “…a man little of stature, thin-haired upon the head, crooked in the legs, of good state of body, with eyebrows joining, and nose somewhat hooked, full of grace: for sometimes he appeared like a man, and sometimes he had the face of an angel”.

Paul was not only ugly but he suffered from an obvious physical illness (Galatians 4:13). In addition to all this, his body must have been gnarled, battered and bruised by all the physical persecution he had suffered. On this occasion, the crowd beat him unconscious and left him for dead (Acts 14:19).

It’s incredible to read that in spite of his appearance, and all his physical suffering, Paul’s heart was full of joy. How can that be? Feelings are a reaction. They are the results of what happens to us. Much like a doctor using an instrument (rubber hammer) on our knee to check a reflex. Joy, on the other hand is not a result of what happens to us, it’s the result of what happens in us. Joy comes from an immersive, loving relationship with God. Paul’s heart was full of joy.

Because of this, God was able to work through Paul in a powerful way. God used Paul in his weakness. This encourages us to believe that God can also work through us in our weakness.

Today and every day, I choose joy. How about you?