Battle Scars: Are they Worth the Pain?
Sitting in church yesterday, I had some thoughts about scars. Yeah, I know, kinda weird (who has those kind of thoughts sitting in chapel)!
Scars are a reminder of some kind of incision, scrape, bruise, or cut to your body that when healing left a noticable mark of some kind. Some scars are short lived while others can last a life time. The parallels are obvious to our very own lives.
As I was thinking back on the "scars" I have sustained in life, a huge part of me is, believe it or not, very thankful. I reflected briefly yesterday on the decisions & choices I had made in the past & the pain that came from those choices. I also thought about the times of correction & discipline I've recieved from my heavenly Father, & at times when he's spoken through people. Ouch!! Those were some painful times. But then something came to my mind...
Scars are not only reminders of painful moments, but they remind us that we CAN heal.
We can be whole again. We can be restored. And ultimately, we can be healed by the One who loves us wildly. I'm thankful for that today. I wonder what Paul felt when he penned these words:
I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
I kinda don't get the picture that he was in the best mood, do you? We read about the kind of pain that Paul felt througout his life. I wonder if, before he passed from this earth, he'd ever look (or think about) the scar that this thorn left in his life. I'm sure it was one of the most painful things in his life, but could he have been thankful? The words that follow say...
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
The title of this post is "Battle Scars: Are they Worth the Pain?" As I look back at my scars & how painful they were, I probably wouldn't trade them or anything. When I think about the kind of man I am today compared to almost 3 years ago, 5 years ago, 12 years ago, I am thankful. And overwhelmed at the richness of life I am experiencing as a husband, a teacher, & as a son of God.
My scars were worth the pain. Are yours?
