Scars

Scars or the tough experiences in life are meant to make us better. To help us turn the page on worldliness, and taste and see the goodness God has for us.  These scars won’t leave positive memories unless we allow ourselves to be healed.  God will not force anything on us.  We must want it.  We must choose to make the changes needed to get us under God’s umbrella of protection.  Proverbs 21:11 tell us, “Senseless people learn their lessons the hard way, but the wise are teachable.”  He waits for us to want what He is offering.

Over and over in scripture, we see God’s instructions to His prophets and followers, through His prophets and followers, and their reaction to them.  God allows us to experience suffering, and it gives us a chance to trust Him.  Suffering is part of life, and everyone experiences pain and sorrow at some point.  Suffering reminds us of our dependence upon the Lord.  Take Job for example, Job says, “Yet man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward. But as for me, I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause” (Job 5:7-8).  I don’t know of or can’t think of anyone that suffered as much as Job.  And yet, he stayed true to his God.

The bible tells us in 1 Peter 3:10-11, “For, whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.  They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.”  I can’t think of a better way to accomplish this than to pursue the Prince of Peace, the First and the Last, the great I Am.  God wants us to repent, to change from our wickedness and evil and do good.  God wants us to become like Him.  But we have to persevere, we have to endure, we have to hold on.  As we learn in James 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”   If we will just hold on, He will complete a work in us.

Most of us can recount a time in our lives where we had difficulty or a trial that weighed us down.  I know I can recall several.  The situation may have seemed hopeless, may have been stressful, may have caused pain and anguish, but God.  These scars have healed in my life, and I hope and pray they have healed in yours also.  These scars beat me down, but I got back on my feet by the grace of God.  I turned from evil and started to do good, and continue my pursuit for peace, His peace.   In John 14:27 we read, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”  What God offers you can’t get nowhere else.

My open wounds have healed.  Like Job, my God restored me.  But we can’t get complacent because the world still turns.  As long as it does, Satan lurks and evil surfaces.  The scars of battles will continue until the end.  There will always be another situation that could penetrate the skin, the mind, and/or the heart.  Be ready!  Hebrews 10:32-35 states, “Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering.  Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.  You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.  So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.”  God will have our back, if we let Him.  He is a God who comforts, a God who heals, a God who loves, a God who restores, and a God who saves.   Saved because we turn, repent, and accept.  Turn from our wickedness, change the way we live, accept the gift of Jesus and the salvation and eternal life offered through His death and resurrection.

In 2 Timothy, just like in James 1, we see trouble will be in our way.  We read, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived  (2 Timothy 3:12-13).”   We used to sing a song in church that went,  “Trouble in my way, I have to cry sometimes.  Trouble in my way, I have to cry sometimes.  I lay awake at night.  But that’s all right.  Jesus will fix it, after while.”  But we serve a God that takes care of His people.  He will not leave our scars unattended.  He offers us His attention, if we will just call on Him.  Psalm 34:17-18 reads, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.  The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”  Let us allow God to treat our wounds and heal the scars from our trials in life.  Trust Him to keep His word.  Let Him take away the hurt, take away the pain, and heal the scars imposed by this world.  Then, let’s begin our transition to doing good and pursuing a peace that can only come from Him.  Be healed brothers and sisters.  God loves you!