Life Thoughts
Ugly Scars
Scars are funny things. Some people want to hide them and others wear them like badges of honor. Most guys like showing their scars and telling the great stories behind them. I’m no exception.
I have several unique scars and a couple unique stories behind them. One scar on the bottom of my right foot goes from the edge all the way accross and to the arch. It was a painfully nasty event. I was about 11 and was enjoy the delights of summer, running barefoot and having fun. I was up at the school playground, we lived very near the school in Leverett’s Chapel, Tx for a number of years (up through part of Jr. High). I say school, because in Leverett’s Chapel, there is one school, K-12. We had about 500 kids, K – 12.
Anyway I was running and playing and decided to go down the slide, and when I hit the bottom, there in the sand was a half of a coke bottle and I landed right on it. Now I dont remember every seeing that much blood! Freaked me out a little. Then I realized I was alone and how do I get help? That freaked me out more. I sat on the end of the slide for a moment and realized I was developing a pool of blood in the dirt. I took off my shirt and wrapped it around my foot. That seemed to slow the blood and then I set off toward home, hoping on one foot. Home never seemed so far away! . . Don’t worry, I made it home got a few stitches and moved on with life.
The scar is mostly faded now and hardly noticeable if you are not looking for it. I remember hobling for a few weeks as the cut healed and then for years I could see the scar. Many years have past and now that whole experience is a mere memory. There is no more pain and hardly any evidence that it ever happend. And of course no one would ever know unless I took off my socks and shoes to show you!
Why tell you that story? It’s about healing. When we are wounded, initially there is a great pain, a big mess, and some fear. Once we get bandaged, or stitched, the wound is closed, but it is sore and very tender. As time passes and the body does its work, the skin seams up, the tissue bonds together and toughens. On the really big wounds, we typically develop scars. Some are painful for awhile, but as time passes, so does the pain. Eventually even the hurt and memory fades a bit.
God’s ability to heal our emotional wounds is just as great (even more in my opinion!) as the healing He equipped our bodies for. At times we can feel broken, almost beyond repair, seemingly at our end. This is where I like reading the Psalms David wrote. In particular, Psalm 18, in the sixth verse David says “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.” and then later in the that Psalm, he says “He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.”
I love the phrase, “He brought me out into a broad place” at times emotionally I feel narrowed in, almost as if the walls are closing in on me. But when I call out, He never fails to take me out back into the broad place, where I can breathe and see again. And over time that thing fades, and becomes just another scar.
How are you today? Do you have any gaping emotional wounds? Things that haven’t healed? Hurts that still tinge with pain? Call out to God. Yep, God can do it. When we feel up against it. Call out to Him. He awaits to rescue and save.
Saving the Best til Last!
Life is interesting. There is a story in the New Testament, where Jesus goes to a wedding (John 2:1-11). Now weddings in those days aren’t like the weddings we have today. They were often week long celebrations with lots of eating and drinking. During this wedding that Jesus was at, the family ran out of wine (which at that time was a bad thing!) Jesus’s mom found out and came and told him they were out of wine. I love what Jesus said, “Mom, why are you bothering me with that” I love even more what his mom did, she just turned to the servants and said, “Get him whatever he asks for”. I chuckle a bit at that, because his mom didn’t take any lip from Jesus, but just moved forward with expectation that he was going to take care of the issue. And he did. He asked for some pots of water and whala, they poured out wine from them.
When one guest took a drink of the wine, he basically yelled, “Stop the party!” “This is unheard of, most people put their best outfront and save the worst for when we are drunk and tired, but you my friend (speaking to the groom) have saved the very best for last”
I like this story because it speaks to me. I feel like that groom. That wedding is my life. The party is going on and things are rocking. Then wham, I am out of wine. And then Jesus amazes me and the crowd by taking the plain and turning it into the extraordinary. And that thing not only affects me, but those around me.
What has Jesus done in your life lately? Experienced the extraordinary? If not don’t loose hope. Jesus isn’t done yet! Look for the what is coming.
Lets Go!
Imagine if you will, you are sitting in your office, busy at work. A stranger walks into your office and says, lets go! I’m going to put you into the business of men, instead of the current business your in. What would you think? How would you react?
Would you stand up, throw the keys on the desk and walk off the job? Leaving all you know and step into the unkown, with little or no clear direction on even what you’ll be doing?
That whole concept seems a bit unsettling, particularly if you have kids, car payment, mortgage and are reasonably successful in your career. But that’s exactly what happen as Jesus rounded up the original twelve. He approached many of them at their workplace and simply said, lets go, start following me! No real background, no resume’ of His qualifications, simply a “Follow Me!”
I have to think that the presence of Jesus was somewhat commanding. I mean, really, to simply stand up and leave it all to follow a stranger? Then again I am reminded of my own experience at 14. Sitting in that musty old church in East Texas. As clear as day I heard him say, its time. Going forward and being led to a small room where Ralf Terzolo opened his Bible and walked me through that simple plan of salvation. I didn’t know Jesus, had really only heard just a little about him, certainly didn’t understand where he planned to take me, but I followed.
In the years since that day, I think I have learned more of who He is, yet still find myself compelled to follow. Even more astounding, I follow, often having no clear direction on where it is He is leading.
What about you? Are you following? Have you met Him?
Interested in more? http://urbangathering.org/?page_id=349
Into the Deep End!
I remember how I first learned to swim! It wasnt one of those instructors at the YMCA or a youth camp, nope it was my Dad, who taught me, or more appropriately tossed me in the deep end and said swim or drown!
We were on a rig location (generally a large area cleared and prepped for assemblying an oil drilling rig and drilling for oil on for those of you not from East Texas!). Genearlly the location would have pond constructed for holding water used in the drilling process. My dad was a tool pusher (basicly the boss onsite) on that particular job and he had taken my brothers and I to work with him that day. It was one of those hot East Texas summer days where the temp was in the low 100’s and we were sweatting! So dad walked us over to the pond and told us to strip down! So nobody but us guys around, so in an instant I was standing there in my tighty whities and all of the sudden my dad picked me up and swoosh, splass and a frantic slapping at the water as he tossed me in.
Now I would love to say I instantly took to water and I was a natural. Nope about the only thing I did well at that time was swallow alot of water. Splashing and kicking, I heard my dad yell to me reach out in front and pull keep doing that. Glub, under, back up, under again, I fought franticaly thinking “He’s going to kill me!” “Out here in the woods away from everything, he’s going to kill me!” Again I heard him say reach out! I did and amazingly I began to pull up and again. Frantically I made it to the side and wallowed in that east Texas red clay, digging my fingers into the mud.
Then swoosh he grabbed me and tossed me back again. After several repeats of the above, I was able to swim, no Michael Phelps, but I could move through the water as good as any dog!
I later went on to get my lifeguard certification and have had many wonderful memories over the years surfing once or twice, snorkleing, and one unforgettable long swim that was several miles! Water and swimming hold no fear for me, and in fact most of my favorite recreational activities is around water.
I often think of that day on the rig location as one of those moments where my life changed and fears were conquered. I am sure many of you have many such moments in your life. I love to look at my life and look for the analogies of God and realize how much He teaches us through others.
Some of my lessons from that day that I think have spiritual application are:
1. Sometimes the Father tosses you in the deep end! (No experience necessary 🙂 )
2. He is your biggest fan and wants you to conquer your fears!
3. Often the things we fear prevent us from experience the full joy available to us.
4. God loves us, but realizes that sometimes you will swallow water, bob up and down and fears the circumstances, but He is watching over, and would never let us truly drwon.
Jeremiah 29:11 says it like this: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
And a little food for thought, Jesus said it this way ” I came that they may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10)
I glad of that day in East Texas and glad my dad tossed me in the deep end. Honestly I wasnt at that moment, but I had limited veiw of life. Likewise I am thankful when God tosses me in the deep end, not always joyfull about it, But I know there is a bigger picture that is painted by His love.
Blessings.
