Ethylene

“And Lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.” 2 Corinthians 12:7

We were on our way to visit. The changing colors on the trees were just absolutely beautiful and amazing. Suddenly Hyemi asked, “Do you know why the leaves fall?” I had no idea. Then she told me, “It’s because of ethylene. They are hormones in plants and that’s what makes the leaves fall.” Of course that’s how she would explain! She’s a scientist! For the next couple minutes she explained to me how ethylene works and the process of leaves falling. I had no idea what she was saying. They were like foreign language to me. Bottom line: leaves fall because of ethylene.

Hyemi told me she could never forget the word ‘ethylene.’ She was taking her exam back in college years ago. Hyemi was well prepared for the exam and she was ready to ace it. She studied hard for the exam. But she couldn’t get the perfect score. Hyemi was able to write down all the answers except for one answer: ethylene. Funny, she couldn’t remember that word at that time for her exam, but because of that experience she will never forget that word.

I feel like that is how God let’s us make us mistakes. We can learn a great deal in our mistakes. We assume that the thorn that Paul mentions in the above verse is about his bad eyesight due to the blindness he had on his way to persecute Christians. But because of that experience he met Jesus. Every time Paul thinks about his poor eyesight, he will not complain but he will remember that Jesus has saved him.

No, we shouldn’t make mistakes. But even if we do so, let’s remember God. The scars you may have from the past, the mistakes you might have made, the times when you might have drifted from God, they should become a way to search for God. And we should remember God for the goodness He has done to us!