What is do you do when your outward passion and purpose in life is seemingly taken away? When life deals you a blow that you didn’t see coming? The big idea tonight is this: every scar tells a story. I’ve got a scar under my chin from needing stitches after I tried to slide under a table as a kid and busted my chin on the table. I’ve got a scar on my hand from when I got stabbed in the hand in college. All of the scars on my body tell a story. But so do the scars in my heart. Things that I have experienced and gone through – some that were very painful tell a powerful story of God’s grace and healing in my life.
Bethany Hamilton is no different. She has a very visible scar – her arm is missing. She and others in her life see that scar everyday. And that scar tells the story of the shark attack. But she has internal scars from that event as well. I want you to hear from her what story those scars tell. If you missed her I Am Second video, you can check it out here
“Being able to turn to Jesus after the shark attack kept me alive.” Did you catch her saying that? What a powerful testimony. And not only did Jesus keep her alive, but He gave her a story to tell. And now that story has been made into a movie and millions of people have heard her story. And who was the main character in her story? Nope, not her. Jesus. And guess what? Whether you realize it or not, He is the main character in your story as well if you are a Christian. In fact, He is the one writing His story for others to see and for His glory.
So the question is tonight – what story do your scars tell? And the second question is how will you use your scars? You really have only two options – your scars can make you bitter or your scars can make you better. Look up what the Bible says in Romans 8:28.
Remember what I shared? Here’s the reality of life: life hurts. Jesus knew this and He even said it in John 16:33.
That is part of why the Bible doesn’t tip-toe around the tough stuff, the scars that we go through. Check out what it says in 1 Peter 4:12. It happens to everybody. It’s scars that just happen. It’s God’s way of saying “Buckle up! Be warned! Life gets bumpy! Life gives you scars.”
So let’s think about some of the truths we’ve learned so far tonight. The first truth is that everybody gets scarred—that means all of us in this room, but just a different degree. The second truth is this: God already knows about your scars. He already knows the scars that you have right now. He knows the scars you dealt with when you were little. Those of you who had a really hard home life, He knows every single scar that was done to you and that’s why He says in Hebrews 4:13
2. Realize you are not alone.
You’re not alone. You can come up to me afterwards and tell me your scar and I could tell you five to ten other people that I know who share that same pain. You’re not alone. You’re also not alone in this church. I love you. This staff loves you. You have friends who love you. And most importantly God loves you. You probably know this because most of you in here I’d guess, you believe in God, you’re not alone with God either.
3. Risk the effort to deal with it and allow God to heal it.
You’re not going to heal until you deal with it. And to deal with it requires risk. I encourage you to talk with someone tonight if you’ve got pain – you’ve got scars that you haven’t dealt with. And I encourage you to talk with God. He stands waiting to bring healing to your life.
