Hello
Beautiful people. It’s a bright new day, bright new week. Yesterday’s gone as part
of the past. We look forward to what tomorrow brings as we inch forward on a
per second basis to the greatness destiny has prepared for us.
So
I have this scar on my left knee; a scar from an injury that happened sixteen (16)
years ago. I remember that incident as vividly as I write this minute. It was in my
second year in school and I was leaving school for the weekend with a friend
of mine who lived in the same town I lived. We took a motor-bike from our
off-campus hostel to the Bus Park with an intention of catching the last bus en-route
home. We were about two (2) minutes away from the park when we were suddenly
faced by an oncoming vehicle and within the twinkle of an eye; we were flung
off the bike right in the middle of the road. We had some minor
injuries and gratefully there were not so serious complications. The injury I
sustained was on my knee cap and after we were given some first aid treatment, we eventually made the trip
home but not without some pain and limping for a couple of days too. The pain subsided
after a while and the only thing that makes me remember that incident to date is
the scar which is a slight protrusion right on my knee cap and it is still very conspicuous. I am certain it would be there for a long time
and I doubt it’ll ever fade off.
Scars!
The Longman dictionary of contemporary English says a scar is a permanent mark that is left on your skin after you
have had a cut or wound. The free online dictionary defines a scar as a mark left on the skin after a
surface injury or wound has healed or a mark, such as a dent, resulting from
use or contact. A scar doesn't exist
without sustaining an injury from an accident howbeit small. You won’t
see a scar on your skin except something hit you, or fell on you. A scar is what
you have left when there is a sharp, hard and painful friction, brushing
against your body. A scar could be very conspicuous whilst some may go unnoticed
and most times what causes a scar no matter how small it is must have hurt the
body.
Having
described a scar literally, we all know in life, there are things that happen
to us and leave marks on us psychologically, emotionally, mentally, physically
and whatnot. Oh yes, day in day out, we experience all forms of surprises in
life. Some could be debilitating, some mind-shattering whist others could just
leave one disillusioned. Many a times we wonder why evil things happen such as
the loss of a valuable thing or even he death of a loved one. Recently, I saw a
post by someone asking why the devil won’t swallow his pride and apologise to
God so that the world would be in a state of absolute rest. Of course, the
devil brought sin and evil into the world when Adam and Eve fell in the Garden
of Eden and since Man lost his God given place to the devil through the lust of
the flesh, eyes and pride of life, he took hold of the reins of affairs of the
world and evil started to multiply. An example of this is seen in the case of Cain
killing his brother Abel, the immediate offspring of the first man God created.
So we can see that evil has been in existence for long.
The
Good News however is that God who is the Matchless Game Changer sent His Son
into the world to change the situation of things. He died for our sins and shed
His precious blood so that we may be delivered form the power of darkness and
be translated into the Kingdom of His dear Son (Colossians 1:13). For those who
are in Christ, it’s a different ball game, by Faith; the devil has no power over
you. The bible in 1st John 3: 8 says for this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the
works of the devil. Jesus gives us life and in abundance and we can
therefore resist the devil vehemently by our faith. Having established the existence
of evil in the world and the fact that whosoever is born of God in Christ overcomes
the world , I will take us back to our scar gist.
God did not promise that the
enemies won't try their weapons against you (in all forms); He only assured
that none of those weapons will prosper (Isaiah 54:17). He didn’t say they
wouldn't come against you, He said when they come in like a flood (in massive, tumultuous
and overwhelming torrents), He will raise a standard against them (Isaiah 59:19). The
enemy is not aware of God's plan for you but God knows about their plan against
you and He is able to make all work together for your good. No smooth sail is guaranteed
in life, we are only assured of a safe landing.
Moses' assignment was to lead people to the bush where He had met with God. Remember the encounter of worship he had at the burning bush? It was needful that that incident happened because he was being given an assignment along that line but on a global dimension; Go bring my people out so they can worship me on this mountain. They were to worship God in the wilderness on their way to the land flowing with milk and honey. Don’t forget that Moses had been through his share of suffering in life too; from being a palace boy to becoming a murderer and then a fugitive. Circumstances landed him a wife in a faraway country and a father-in law whom he had to tender his flock. In the process of taking care of the flock was when he had this encounter with God. That burning bush encounter might not have happened or God might not have appeared to him if he was in the Egyptian palace enjoying the royal goodies. It demonstrates to us that you cannot take people to where you haven't been yourself.
Moses' assignment was to lead people to the bush where He had met with God. Remember the encounter of worship he had at the burning bush? It was needful that that incident happened because he was being given an assignment along that line but on a global dimension; Go bring my people out so they can worship me on this mountain. They were to worship God in the wilderness on their way to the land flowing with milk and honey. Don’t forget that Moses had been through his share of suffering in life too; from being a palace boy to becoming a murderer and then a fugitive. Circumstances landed him a wife in a faraway country and a father-in law whom he had to tender his flock. In the process of taking care of the flock was when he had this encounter with God. That burning bush encounter might not have happened or God might not have appeared to him if he was in the Egyptian palace enjoying the royal goodies. It demonstrates to us that you cannot take people to where you haven't been yourself.
Sometimes the most important lessons in life are those learnt
in those dire moments and uncomfortable situations. Those things stay with you and most times, when
you see a re occurrence along that line, you are able to make a quick detour. I guess God orchestrates events such that when
some things happen to us, we are able to comfort those who go through such with
the same comfort we have been comforted by God. You sometimes hear of humble
beginnings of many great names and shudder; everyone has been through their
experiences too. These things leave scars and the scars are what have turned them
to stars. Some are born in the palace but some are raised from the dunghill and
set amongst princes. Those who were born in the palace can afford to misbehave but
for those who have been raised, when they see the scars of where they are
coming from, they remember that it is imperative to make good use of every
opportunity life offers them. When we are raised, we can value what we have been
through and enjoy fully what the palace has got to offer. 1st Samuel
2: 8 says:
He raises the poor from the dust
And lifts the
beggar from the ash heap,
To set them among princes
And make them inherit the throne of
glory
David is another man who had gone through his share of
unpleasant circumstances in life. He was exposed to the back side of the forest
as the last child of the family whilst every other person was having a royal
treatment at home. When the nation was confronted by the threat of a Goliath
turning them into slaves, He rose to the challenge and recalled what he had
been through in the past.
1st Samuel 17: 34
But David said to Saul, “Your
servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the
flock, 35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I
caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. 36Your servant has killed both
lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them,
seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.
To have successfully delivered a lamb from the mouth of a
lion, killing the lion in the process, David must have put up a brave fight.
It must have been the fight of his life, a fight for survival. I am certain the
lion wouldn't have kept calm whilst David was trying to deliver the lamb from its
grip, it might have pushed David to the floor in an attempt to trample over
him, making him sustain some minor injuries or even some major ones in the process but the man
came out victorious; against both lion and bear but not necessarily without scars. So with that experience in hindsight, Goliath
was just a cheap nut to break. David must have looked at his scars and drawn
courage from his experiences. Few men would fight a lion and come out unscathed
and alive. More often than not, one would rather look for an escape route
rather than fight a lion. No wonder four hundred (400) discouraged,
discontented and debt-ridden men assembled themselves to him as protégés and
they won all the wars he led them to. David's scars became his stars and turned
him into a STAR!
If you can’t show me your scars, you scare me. What do I have
to learn from you? With what do you want to encourage me? How do I know you
really mean those words of encouragement? How do I know you have the faintest
idea of what I am going through? I
paraphrase the Message version of Daniel 12:3 as "'Men and women who
have lived wisely and well (by reason of their encounters in life) will shine brilliantly,
like the cloudless, star-strewn night skies.
“Scars show us where we have been, they do not dictate where we are going.”
― David Rossi
“Scars show us where we have been, they do not dictate where we are going.”
― David Rossi
Cheer up Friend; those scars will soon become your
stars and turn you into a STAR.......
The Pen....
No comments:
Post a Comment