When I was two years old, I was playing with my doll in my living room. I tossed her across the room and then ran after her. My clutzy nature had already started because just before I reached my doll, I tripped and fell face first, crashing into the ground. My chin was the first part of my body to hit, which slammed my little mouth closed. Unfortunately, my bottom lip was under my front teeth at that moment and I ended up biting all the way through it. There was blood, a trip to the Emergency Room and several stitches that followed. As a result I have a nice white scar, still to this day, that you can see on my bottom lip when I pull it tight against my teeth. It was my first scar.
Over the next three decades, I have accrued many more scars. Knee surgeries, wrist surgeries, mishaps with scissors, skids on pavement on my knees and other accidents have scarred my body. Fortunately, all that’s left are the scars. There is no more pain associated with the old injuries. They have long since healed, although I wouldn’t be surprised if I earned a couple of more during the course of my life. After all, I am still a clutz.
I also have scars that no one really sees. They are emotional scars I have received in the last 35 years. There have been bad things that have happened to me that have left their mark on my life. Those ‘wounds’ have healed. However, they are still there and affect my decision making sometimes. This might mean I back away from a challenge when I should face it head on. It might mean that I make a decision based on fear instead of in confidence. It also might mean I have learned a painful lesson already and won’t make the same mistake again.
The Apostle Paul was also scarred. He speaks of a mysterious ‘thorn in his flesh’ that he asked to be taken from him. In 2 Corinthians, Paul speaks of amazing visions he received from the Lord. Then in verse 7 it says, “So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.” (New Living Translation) This surely left a scar in Paul’s flesh.
Like anyone, Paul hated the thorn in his flesh. In fact, he says in verses 8-10, “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (New Living Translation)
Paul’s thorn made him rely up on God’s grace because that is how God works. He needs us to draw on his strength when we are weak. He needs us to let go of the control and turn over the steering wheel to Him. This must have not been easy for Paul. Besides the thorn in his flesh, Paul spoke about Christ to his detriment many, many times. He was jailed and beaten repeatedly, but that did not stop him from spreading Christ’s message of forgiveness to anyone who would listen, even the jailers who kept him imprisoned.
After all that Paul had gone through to spread Christ’s message, he got pretty tired of hearing about stuff in life that didn’t really matter. Specifically in Galatians, chapter 6, Paul closes his letter to the churches in southern Glatia, in his own handwriting to emphasize his seriousness. (Paul used a scribe to write the rest of his letters.) There was a problem in these churches. Some people were forcing circumcision on people in order to be able to brag that they had converted them. All the while, the people forcing circumcision were not keeping the law themselves.
Paul said in verses 14-16, “For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Cross of our Master, Jesus Christ. Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate. Can't you see the central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do—submit to circumcision, reject circumcision. It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life! All who walk by this standard are the true Israel of God—his chosen people. Peace and mercy on them!” (The Message)
What God had done for Paul is let him experience many physically and emotionally painful circumstances so that God could be glorified. Paul got it. The people who he was talking about did not. “Quite frankly, I don't want to be bothered anymore by these disputes. I have far more important things to do—the serious living of this faith. I bear in my body scars from my service to Jesus.” (Galatians 6:17, The Message)
These scars proved that Paul had served Jesus Christ, his personal Lord and Savior. Paul’s beatings, the thorn in his flesh, his misery, were not wasted on him. He could look down at each scar and see the reminder about what his life was all about. Everyone who knew Paul knew that he was a follower and teacher of Christ Jesus. When they saw his scars, they also knew that he earned those while following Christ.
Thank God we live in a country where we are free to profess Christ, follow Him and teach others about him openly. We don’t face beatings, floggings, or imprisonment when we follow Christ. Especially in Oklahoma, we are surrounded by other people who believe the same way we do. There are churches everywhere you look and plenty of denominations to choose from. The little resistance we do face in some areas cannot compare to the persecution Paul faced, as do many people in other corners of the world.
Yet, I believe we have scars, too. They might be mostly positive scars, but they are there. They are the things people see when they look at us that identify us as a follower of Christ. Maybe it’s the cross necklace you wear. Or maybe it is something intangible. Maybe it is the spirit they see in you. Maybe it’s the light you shine in dark corners.
So what are your scars? What are the marks that tell others that you belong to Christ? Do you cover them with long sleeves and make up, or do you show them off proudly to the world? Do you let others know who you belong to? Do you leave any room for doubt? I am challenged by the Apostle Paul to quit hiding my scars and embrace them. I want others to see Christ in me as they saw Christ in Paul. I may have a long way to go, but rolling up my sleeves is the first step.
