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Medals or Scars?
Posted by
Bob Fetherlin
,
20 September 2006
·
965 views
Today's been a demanding travel day . . . a very early morning departure from Orlando where I was at the Southeastern District Conference . . . in planes and airports all day getting to Portland, Oregon. I'm feeling tired after a demanding schedule at the conference, a long trip, and crossing three time zones.
On the way I was reading from Brennan Manning's RUTHLESS TRUST. He made a statement that's had me thinking: "Anyone God uses signficantly is always deeply wounded." How could this be? Why is it God would take people through the school of suffering to make them more fit for His use?
Reflecting on people whose lives I've seen God use in extraordinary ways, I do see a pattern . . . they've been through tough times. They've shed tears and lived with heartache, pain, and disappointment. Not all to the same extent for the same period of time . . . but the pattern is definitely there.
The result? The margins of grace in their lives have widened. Patience and forbearance have increased. They have an enhanced awareness of their weakness and limitations in comparison to God's great power. They have a well-developed longing to be intimately connected to a loving, sovereign being much greater than themselves. I think C.S. Lewis may have been right when he said, "God whispers to us in our pleasure, but shouts to us in our pain."
When my days on earth are completed, I think I'd rather have scars than medals. Medals bear witness to our victories. Scars are indicators of our pain. If the pathway of pain can help me become more like Christ and move my heart toward greater levels of trust in Him, then may I have the grace to embrace it as a gift rather than a curse . . . even when it's undeserved and can't be easily explained or remedied. May I respond with unwavering trust in the One who loves me and does all things well.
"Kind Father, I know there will be pain on the pathway ahead. Use it to mold me into a more useable instrument in Your hands. Help me to respond to it with quiet confidence because of who You are. Instead of grumbling, help me to respond with gratitude. In Jesus' name, Amen."
On the way I was reading from Brennan Manning's RUTHLESS TRUST. He made a statement that's had me thinking: "Anyone God uses signficantly is always deeply wounded." How could this be? Why is it God would take people through the school of suffering to make them more fit for His use?
Reflecting on people whose lives I've seen God use in extraordinary ways, I do see a pattern . . . they've been through tough times. They've shed tears and lived with heartache, pain, and disappointment. Not all to the same extent for the same period of time . . . but the pattern is definitely there.
The result? The margins of grace in their lives have widened. Patience and forbearance have increased. They have an enhanced awareness of their weakness and limitations in comparison to God's great power. They have a well-developed longing to be intimately connected to a loving, sovereign being much greater than themselves. I think C.S. Lewis may have been right when he said, "God whispers to us in our pleasure, but shouts to us in our pain."
When my days on earth are completed, I think I'd rather have scars than medals. Medals bear witness to our victories. Scars are indicators of our pain. If the pathway of pain can help me become more like Christ and move my heart toward greater levels of trust in Him, then may I have the grace to embrace it as a gift rather than a curse . . . even when it's undeserved and can't be easily explained or remedied. May I respond with unwavering trust in the One who loves me and does all things well.
"Kind Father, I know there will be pain on the pathway ahead. Use it to mold me into a more useable instrument in Your hands. Help me to respond to it with quiet confidence because of who You are. Instead of grumbling, help me to respond with gratitude. In Jesus' name, Amen."
