Most of us have heard the phrase “There are no atheists in the foxhole.” It means that, when we are in trouble, we all ask for help from something greater than ourselves. Perhaps it’s times like this, that we are allowed to carry burdens, so that we are reminded of our inadequacies and our weaknesses.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Physical Scars
We all carry scars. Whether physical or emotional, we all have scars that remind us of our weakness.
When I was a child about the age of 7, we lived on a gravel road, just a short distance from a tall hill on the road. I talked my sister into riding on the back of my bike one day, from the top of that hill. Of course, we were safe, right? After all, I was the best bike rider around, in my mind at least. From the top of the hill, we started riding down. Faster and faster, we went through the heavy gravel. Somewhere near the bottom, I lost control of the bike and we crashed hard. So hard that I was immediately knocked unconscious.
When I awoke, I was walking in front of my sister, while she was struggling to push our busted bike. I was bleeding and again blacked out. I awoke again, in my bathroom, with my parents cleaning my wounds. Again I blacked out and woke later laying on a bed, receiving stitches in my forehead and chin.
Today, I wear a really bad attempt at a goatee beard, to cover an ugly scar on my chin. That scar is a reminder to me. That I wasn’t the best bike rider around. That I was inadequate and make foolish decisions. Whether 7 years old, or 50 years old, I am weak and can be broken.
Emotional Scars
When I was about 11, my father was in a Christian band and would practice his music in a nearby city. To break the boredom, I would often walk down the street to a small convenience store and play the arcade game there. As a kid from the country, arcade games were something special and I looked forward to it. Something happened there, that I’ve never spoken about.
Once while playing, a man approached me. He was a middle eastern man and introduced himself as David. He bought me a couple rounds of the game and started talking to me. At some point, he asked if I wanted to go watch a movie. I made the mistake of getting in his car. We drove to a local theatre in town, but it was closed. I remember clearly what was playing. It was Raiders of the Lost Arc. It was the big blockbuster at the time, and I really wanted to see it. I was disappointed that it was closed.
“David” said he was taking me home, but had to stop at his apartment for something. It was close by. He invited me up while he “retrieved whatever he needed.” Once in the apartment, he offered me some fresh coconut, that was cut up and on a small silver serving platter. I remember that I immediately felt like I was in trouble, and I didn’t take the food. He turned on a television, and I never even noticed what was playing. I just knew that I needed to leave, and I needed to figure out how.
At some point, he reached for me and grabbed me by the arm. He tried to lead me to another room, but I pulled free. I got to the door and managed to open it. Lucky for me, he didn’t lock the door. Before he could grab me again, I was out the door. He followed me out and I stopped at the sidewalk. There, he talked to me. He told me if I ever needed money or help with anything, I could call him. He gave me a little piece of paper with a phone number scratched on it. I walked from there, even though I wasn’t sure how to get back to my family, but I had an idea of the direction and eventually found my way. I cried all the way back. It terrified me that he might be trying to find me.
Over the years, I’ve often thought about this. How close I came to tragedy. As a child, I was embarrassed of what happened, and I forever felt awkward when strangers spoke to me. My emotional pain was a scar that I carried. A reminder of a mistake I made. Today, I realize this scar wasn’t of my own mistake. It was caused by the mistake of someone else, but I’m the one that carries the scar.
Somewhere in a box of things I keep, I still have the piece of paper with the phone number on it. I’ve thought a few times about tracking the phone number down from that period of time, and confronting him now that he’s an old man and I am a grown man. But why? He will pay the ultimate price one day, when all our sins are reconciled.
Burdens, Afflictions, Strength, and Grace
In the verse quoted from Corinthians, Paul is explaining That he carries some form of burden. He describes it as a thorn in his flesh. Given to him by Satan, Paul asks the Lord to take this burden away 3 times. 3 times the Lord refuses and explains to Paul that his Grace is sufficient, and His power is made perfect in weakness.
What Paul is saying here, is what we should all realize. Our burdens and our weaknesses keep us humble, but also give us strength. Satan seizes the opportunities to afflict us, but through Grace, we can use these afflictions to prove our strength given to us by God. It’s an opportunity for us to understand that we are not the “best biker in the neighborhood,” and we can all be victims to terrible acts of others. Instead of turning away from God when we are afflicted, God wants us to use Him for strength to push through them.
God sent his Son Jesus to pay the price for our sins. He was beaten, mutilated, and scarred. When you envision Him, see his scars. See his scars as a sign of the strength he must have had, to suffer so greatly for us. Know that his scars are a visual representation of what he endured for us to have salvation. Know that his pain and anguish is a representation of the mental burdens that He willingly took, as a sign of His love for us.
Scars aren’t a form of weakness. They are a visual or mental representation of all the taxes placed on our earthly minds and bodies. Like Paul, use your thorns as a means of praising God for your strength to endure them.
As it is written. Thank you for reminding me of his greatness in and reason for our scars.