Scarred for Life!

I received a deep wound to my leg as the result of a joke played by my youngest brother. I still have that scar today as a reminder of the event. Now it hasn’t caused me any other issues in life except the memory of the situation. Although my dream career as a Swimsuit Model probably will never come to pass (Kidding here, I never wanted to be a swimsuit model). Other scars we receive can affect us for the rest of our lives and prevent us from doing the things we once desired or wanted to do.
But I want to share with you that there are some wonderful things about scars.
1.) Scars are a sign that we can heal!

The important thing about wounds is they can and will heal. Our body has this wonderful way of trying to heal itself and in doing so we might not have a good looking scar but we are healed. They show that we have been put back together, made whole again.

2.) Scars are a sign that we have experience
Seldom will we see a new born child with scars. We will experience the nicks and scrapes of sharp objects, of hot stoves, of trees and coffee tables, and all sort of objects jumping in our way. They indicate for all to see that in spite of foolish mistakes we are still here and going on. They remind us in private moments that we need to be careful in the things that we do.

3.) Scars are a witness
Some of us wear scars that bear witness to the great skills of certain surgeons. They bear witness to a body that will not let the nicks and bumps and scraps of life beat us down.

But what of the scars that can’t be seen?
For every scar that shows on your body there are those scars that can never be seen. And not all of them came from same type of trauma.
Not all the scars on the hearts of this world came from a surgeon. Some come from relationships that have gone bad and I think that we all have experienced that first broken heart. All of us know something of what it is to be young and rejected by the person that we just knew had to be the love of our life. And it broke our hearts. But we survived. Some of the memories of experiences in our lives still haunt us. They scar our thinking but we survive... we bear witness.

Our internal scars can be our witness for Christ to Others.
Take Doubting Thomas as he is so often called. He couldn’t believe until what? When he saw the scars in Jesus’ hand; when he felt the scar on Jesus side, he believed. Jesus told him that there would be those who must believe without seeing and feeling the scars, there are Christians today who still want to see the scars.
Have you shown others yours?

Can they see the scars that are left from your life in sin? Scars; healed by a loving and forgiving God; your rebirth as a believer? As a newborn believer you may not have had the skin of a baby but you were made whole again. Can they see the scars on your heart that Jesus healed? Hearts hardened by a life of rejecting Him.

But the real question is can they see the scars where Jesus wouldn’t let go? Some of our wounds are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of our struggles, God has been there holding on to us. Some of the time when we were running hardest away from God, His grip was growing ever tighter.

In my case, I’m so glad he didn’t let go.
I read this story of a young boy, swimming in a Florida lake. His Mom was on the shore watching him. An alligator was swimming in the same lake towards the boy. His Mom noticed and jumped into the water to save the boy. The alligator latched onto to the boys legs and at the same time the Mom grabbed his arms. Now the alligator was stronger than Mom but in her love and heart, she wouldn’t give up. She didn’t let go.
A man driving by in a large truck saw what was going on and shot the alligator.
Of course, the boy was scarred for life and now had to live with these scars. I know the story sounds bad but it’s not. The boy is a Christian and he now gives testimony to how God wouldn’t let go either. He uses the story of the alligator as his witness.

I’m so glad that God wouldn’t let go of me and I’m glad he wouldn’t let go of you. I’m so glad that as the teeth of sin clinched ever tighter around me that God hung on. Scars that show others, I have been where they are and God pulled me through; Scars that gave me the experience not to make the same mistakes over and over and over again. But most of all I am proud of scars that bear witness to the power of God’s love. Scars that I can share with those who still doubt, who still need to see and feel the scars to believe. Scars that testify that I have been crucified in Him and I no longer live but Christ lives in me.

Are you willing to share your scars with those who need to see them? And when you do, will you be like the Apostle Paul and boast of nothing but the cross?

Testify!!!