At some point in a negotiations both sides reach an impasse. Both parties have pushed as hard as they can to gain the upper hand and the other side says, “enough is enough” and the stare down begins. I have been there and each and every time I have gotten up and walked away from the table, either literally or figuratively, I have this uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach that I have pushed the other side too far and the whole deal will collapse. We negotiate all day long with each other in our work. Sometimes it is on large contracts with vendors, other times it is with our fellow employees who are represented by a labor union. But, other times, the negotiations are with our fellow teammates who together we are trying to get things done but we find ourselves negotiating among ourselves for roles and responsibilities, and who is going to take on what part of the burden of a project. Whenever we find ourselves in these negotiations, it can feel like there is a winner and a loser and the loser feels like that they get stuck with the raw end of the deal. The entire employment relationship can feel this way to some people. The employee feels that she/he has no real say and the employer dictates on them rules and policies that the employee feels can’t be changed and they are stuck with an outcome they can’t control. These burdens, unjust outcomes, unfair dealings can feel like stabs and hurts that just won’t go away and no matter how hard we try we can’t make them disappear. We are taught how to deal with these by Paul in 2 Corinthians 12: 7-10. He says this about his own situation; “…even though I have received wonderful revelations from God. But to keep me from getting puffed up, was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep from getting proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with the insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Wow! Those are hard words to accept and understand from Paul. We don’t know exactly what he is talking about when he describes his thorn, but we know it was something that dragged him down, occupied his mind all the time, made him feel weak and downtrodden, and something that he could not change or remove on his own. The hand we have been dealt at our job may feel just like this. We feel like we have come to an impasse and we can’t make it any better. It may be our job itself that we can’t afford to leave or change and we just have to stick it out. It may be our boss or a co-worker. It may be a tough situation at home that keeps showing up in our work or getting in the way of doing our best on the job. Any of these things can be thorns to us. The point is that Paul says we have to turn those thorns over to God and allow Him to bring strength to us through the realization of the weakness they produce. Today, you probably have one or more of these thorns that you can’t remove. Today, would be the day to begin recognizing that the removal may not be the answer. That the impasse is not bad for us, it just is what it is and we are to work within the situation. The acceptance of the thorns as present and the calling upon the Lord to turn them into strength and power is the real answer.

Reference: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (New Living Testament)