Marred Vessels
12:52 PM
Marred: to damage or spoil to a
certain extent; render less perfect, attractive, useful, etc.; impair or spoil
(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/marred)
Have you ever felt this way before? Less than perfect. Slightly, unattractive. Not quite as useful. I imagine if we are all HONEST there is not
one reading this who cannot say without hesitation, “YES.”
I had a mentor tell me once to
never hide your scars they are beautiful, a perfect picture of healing. Grace.
Redemption. Marred. I never really
thought about my scars as beautiful.
These words resonated with me. I
quietly listened as they echoed for weeks, even months in the corridors of my
heart and mind.
“Your scars, the places you strive
to mask, these places are where my glory is revealed. Why would you hide my beauty, healing, grace? Your scars like mine tell the most beautiful
story of all.”
“Sissy, don’t throw that!” I can still hear his squeaky voice screaming
at me in hopes to keep me from getting hurt.
I in my great wisdom at seven years
year old chose to ignore my older brother.
Sibling rivalry couldn’t be strong between he and I at this time in our
lives. I now know twenty-four years
later he really was trying to save me from anguish.
I threw the board into the bright
blue sky except it went nowhere not up, not down, just into my hand. The board I had chosen to use had a nail bent
sticking out, and as I threw it, somehow the rusty nail slid into the palm of my
hand as though it was a major league baseball player sliding into home plate.
I still have a scar on my right
hand just under my thumb. I will never
forget this day I became marred partly, because the aftermath was a little
traumatic for me. I ended up with a
couple of stitches and bloody mess.
For the rest of my life I have a scar to
remind me, I don’t know it all! I didn’t
know it all then, and I sure don’t know it all now.
Scars tell stories of events. Scars are like a timeline and a history book
of our life. Perhaps the mar you are dealing
with today was because you didn’t heed wisdom when she called. Maybe your scar is from someone else’s
careless and wreck less decisions.
I have many scars, and they tell
many stories. Today I just wanted to share kind of a funny one about not listening
to wisdom. If I wasn’t in competition
with my brother, and had I listened to him, had I not wanted to be the hero I
wouldn’t have this in particular scar on my hand.
I also heard my mentor tell the
story of two ladies who realized they had the same scar. She looked into our eyes and the light bulb
went off. We, You and I, we are not in
this alone. We are in this together.
The lady looked into the eyes of
the other lady and said, “You have my scar.”
She recognized her scar in the scar of another’s. It was in this moment I realized He wears our
scars as well. He says to us, “I have
your scar.”
He healed us, and bore our scars to
show us healing is in his hands. Friend
if you are hurting and are marred like me in too many ways to count, would you
listen to Jesus as he whispers, “I have your scar. I bore your pain on the cross; I can heal
your pain. Your scars can tell a new
story. A story of love, and
healing. HOPE. A life full of beauty, because you came to me
and I healed you. Your scars don’t have
to tell of devastation and hurt anymore.
No I make all things new they can tell a new story.”
Father,
I pray for those who have wounds
that are not yet healed. I ask that you
would embrace them and heal their broken dreams, hearts, and minds. I ask that you would take away their disappointment
and unfulfilled expectations and restore them.
Give them a new story. Let your
healing rise like the dawn, and let wounds heal into beautiful scars reminding
them that they are useful in your hands, they are beautiful, and they have
purpose. Bring my friends peace where there is chaos and trauma. In the darkest of places you shine
brightest. I thank you that joy comes in
the morning. Please heal them, comfort
them, and hold them until it is time to remove the stitches. May their healing come quickly but may they not
pick at the stitches and remove them prematurely causing infection. Let your process bring forth patience and a
pure heart of gold in my friends. I love
you. I trust you. I believe you can do miracles in the lives of
all who surrender to you. Let them one
day be able to look into the eyes of the hurting with empathy and say, “I have that
same scar.” May they share your story of
redemption and healing to all who come into their lives.
In your beautiful name,
AMEN
2 comments
This is so beautiful! I have a lot of scars - physical and emotional, and have been so blessed with people in my life who know the feeling.
ReplyDeleteMelissa thank you. I have so many scars emotionally and physically I feel like I could have written about so much more maybe I will go back and write a little more on them, and how the Lord has used them to touch others.
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