We
all have a story to tell. You know… you
were born and then what? What’s YOUR
story? Did you know that every story is
different? Not one is like another. Each story is sprinkled with a mixture of
good and bad times spanning the course of our lifetime. I bet if I took a survey today I would find one
thing that each of our stories has in common.
I’m sure we have all experienced pain in one way or another in our lives...
whether it was in our past or currently in the present. It’s a part of our story.
Did you know that God wants to redeem every
part of our story?
(Past, Present, and
Future)
There
WILL be struggles! If you haven’t faced
them yet, you will! I’m sorry to
surprise you. When they come, what
will we do? How will we respond? Will we
CONTINUE to trust Him with our everything or give up all together?
Think
about it… How have you responded in the past when you faced unexpected
circumstances or situations?
I have found that when I surrender “my
struggle” to God…
(Whatever it is at the
time), that He ALWAYS
leverages it for good.
What
I mean is that… Something that may seem “bad” in my life, when placed in
the hands of God, always ends up having an unexpected outcome of good.
My
husband said this recently at a worship service we had with our young adults
and it totally caught me off guard…
“It’s sometimes our SCARS that draw people
to Jesus the most!”
In
that moment the Holy Spirit hit me with the realization that one of my “SCARS”
is my sickness. I cannot even begin to
count the number of people God has touched as a result of it. People identify with my struggle and it opens
doors for me to share God’s love with others freely.
Scars – Whether visible to the
eye or hidden from others are something we all have in common. I’m
sure we have all experienced some kind of pain (whether physically or emotionally)
at some point in our lives.
My
husband could entertain you for hours with stories about the variety of scars
he carries on his body… you would hear about barns, chickens, pitch forks, surgeries,
horses, and the like. I have scars
too. My most recent scar involves an
altercation I had with a new kind of curling iron I was attempting to use on my
hair. Needless to say, we have decided
to part ways. My wrist has an
unforgivable mark to remind me to this day.
“The good thing about scars is that if they
heal up properly,
they don’t hurt anymore. They may look really bad,
but the pain is all gone.”
I
bet a lot of us have scars on the outside, but how many of us have scars on the
INSIDE that others can’t see? It
could be scars of abandonment, betrayal, fear, rejection, or low-self
esteem. Or it could be scars of
addictions, bad choices, broken relationships, or grief. These kinds of scars are more personal and
private. They aren’t the kind of things
we share with everyone.
I
have experienced scars like this too. SCARS…
of miscarriage, rejection, cutting words that hurt deeply, broken relationships
and the like.
My
scars tell a story. They are a reminder to me
that God heals on the inside and out.
What
stories do your scars tell? Who have you
had the opportunity to minister to as a result of them?
“Scars in a sense are past hurts that tell a
story. When we surrender
our lives to God, our scars will amazingly
point people to Jesus!”
Jesus
had scars too. He faced excruciating
pain on the cross… the nails in His hands and feet. I can’t even imagine!
Think
about the Easter story… Jesus was raised from the dead (experiencing
the ultimate healing) yet He still walked away with scars! The power of death
was conquered, but the SCARS remained. God
didn’t take them away! They were not
erased! Why not?
Jesus
scars tell the story of salvation. They are scars of HOPE!!!!
They are a reminder to
us that healing is possible. He
understands pain and He cares. He loves
us! Through Him we can find life and He
promises to be with us through everything!
We are not alone!
Romans
5:8 says…
“But
God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (NIV)
John
3:16 says…
“For
God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who
believes in him may not die but have eternal life.” (GNT)
My
scars tell a story. It’s a story of salvation, deliverance,
freedom, life changing moments with Him, healing, and His faithfulness. He has redeemed my past and present scars
over and over again for good! His
scars tell a story that changed my life!
Where
are you at in your story? Have you
surrendered your scars to Him or do you have open wounds that still need
healing?
Maybe
you need to start with salvation… surrendering your everything to God and
thanking Him for the precious gift He sent in Jesus to save you and bring life!
If
that’s you or you need to recommit your life to God now, tell Him. Talk to Him like you would your best friend and
lay it all out before Him… the good, bad, and ugly. Ask Him to wash you clean and come be Lord of
your life.
My
scars tell a story, His scars tell a story, what story will your scars tell?
“Scars in a sense are past hurts that tell a
story. When we surrender
our lives to God, our scars will amazingly
point people to Jesus!”
Prayer:
God,
thank you for the gift you gave in sending your son to die for me. I can’t even imagine the pain He went through
to make a way for me to experience true life and that abundantly. Today I surrender my life to you… ugly scars
and all. I pray you would leverage them
all for good to draw people to You.
Please redeem my story (past and present) for good. I pray my story will inspire others to pursue
you more. Thank you that I’m never
alone. You are forever faithful and all
over my story. I love you forever. Amen.