Most of us carry scars of some kind--from our own choices, from the cruel actions of others, from tragic events, from the cumulative effect of life in general.
These scars direct our new choices, our view of self, the very filter through which we act out our days. They fuel our decision-making because we live behind them.
If we are fueled by our scars, how do we make sure they lead us toward wisdom and truth and not away from these guideposts we so desperately need? We've heard out of the frying pan into the fire. That will be our plight if we don't take action that impacts the woundedness we carry.
J.R. Martinez, the wounded warrior who won last year's Dancing With the Stars, found his way out of the frying pan of nearly burning to death in a land mine explosion in Iraq. He endured thirty-three surgeries, three years of recovery, a lost left ear and a face blotched and looking nothing like the person he knew. How did he stay out of the fire of defeat?
He is fueled by his scars, yes, but he brought a new Fuel into the mix. His prayer in the hospital was I know I survived for a reason, Lord. Lead me to the other side of this pain, and show me that reason.
For reasons that we may never know, God allows the scars of our life to become the very fuel that drives us. Our best hope is to submit those scars to Him, allow Him time to show us how to mix wisdom and truth with our woundedness, and find the victory embedded into even the deepest of scars.
