The Beauty of Our Scars

Today was a great day (minus the Seahawk loss to the 49ers)... our services were incredible. Several people made decisions to GET UP from failures; past and present, asking for God's forgiveness and forgiving themselves. I cannot tell you how exciting it is to look into the eyes of people who experience the reality of God. They look alive, as if a weight has been dropped or they just took their first breath.

I also performed a wedding this evening as well. It was one of the most enjoyable times I've had at a wedding. I had a chance to meet a particular gentlemen and we just seemed to click. He played basketball professionally for six years and grew up in New Jersey. Our conversation led to some personal exchanges that allowed me to bring some words of encouragement to this man. He grew up in a home where the family were devoted Catholics. He expressed hurts and rejection that impacted he and his siblings... feelings of rejection and disappointment. This was 25 years ago... and it still hurts.

I met another who once was a youth pastor and music director on staff in a church located not too far from ours a little over 10 years ago. He saw some things that caused him to really question church and was accused of something he did not do. Now he lives in California and has nothing to do with church at all. What got me was that he had journaled his experience (hundres of pages), the things that caused great hurt and pain. As he was sharing he had to stop himself because that hurt was still impacting him today.

Luke 22:32 - But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthenyour brothers.

You never know who God is going to bring into our intersections of life. Today I referenced the apostle Peter and the account of his denying of Jesus. Peter was told that satan was wanting to sift him as wheat and that Jesus was praying for Peter, :that his faith may not fail..." not that he wouldn't follow through with the denials, but that his faith wouldn't fail. Jesus continued to tell him "...when you turn back, strengthen your brothers."

Our scars in life have a story, and our scars connect with others who are experiencing the same things. The beauty of our scars is that people can identify with the pain, and find hope because we were able to get up from those failures. People want to get up from the hurts and failures, but sometimes don't know how to do it. We become of greater value because of our scars. They makes us human and real, and they make God and His love more real to them too.

Many times what we think are set backs in our lives literally become platforms of favor to minister the reality of God to others. You never know who God is bringing your way, nor what God is able to do with our failures... they can even become beautiful!