Thorny Weeds Research Paper

As a child, I delighted in visiting my grandmother's house in the country. She resided on several beautiful acres with chickens, cows and pigs and a lush vegetable garden. She had an immense yard which I relished. All was fun and games until I paraded barefoot into a "sticker weed" patch. These pesky small bur weeds have spiky thorn like appendages and are very painful if stepped upon. Needless to say, I learned to keep my shoes on.

"Sticker weeds" are basically weeds with thorns, and they are a prickly problem. These little harassments jab, tear, prick, poke, and they are impossible to eradicate. They turn a playing field into a nightmare and a beautiful garden into a thorny jungle.

Thorns are mentioned several times in the Bible, and they symbolize trials, curses and tribulations and are repulsive. The first thorny weeds presented themselves after the fall of man in Genesis. Weeds and thistles were part of Adam's curse for disobeying. Because of sin, man would toil and labor for food, fighting sticky bushes, thorns and prickly weeds which would overtake lawns, landscapes and gardens. We see them abundantly today and fight them tooth and nail in our yards.
Paul was given a "thorn in the flesh." The Bible never mentions what his "thorn" was, but he described the affliction as a tormenting “a messenger of Satan”. His "thorn" is metaphoric, and there have been speculations stating it could have been anything from an eye problem to a emotional problem. He asked God to remove it, yet God said, "No, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9) Thus, the "thorn" kept Paul humbly afflicted, which in turn furthered his ministry of sharing the gospel. God gave Paul overwhelming grace and bestowed him