We've all had crap in our lives. People we've loved and trusted made bad choices, which in turn negatively impacted us. These events in our lives placed scars on our souls and created fear in our hearts. And as humans will do, we allow those scars and fears to impact our choices and at times end up creating more scars and fears to handle. One of the biggest barriers to my believing there was a God that loved me so much that He became flesh and then suffered and died a horrible death as atonement for my sins were the events that created my scars and fears. When the barrier was broken and I believed, I decided to turn those ugly scars into tools that helped others deal with their scars. I went from being the one who covered everything with a scarf to the one who said, "Check this out. I got this scar because of this, but look how nicely it's healed. It is now simply a part of me."
As most of you know, my Kate has a huge scar down her back. She came to the rescue that way and we do not know what happened to her. A veterinary dermatologist told me it looks like a chemical burn. Whatever it is, it had to hurt like the dickens. No matter how it happened, my firm belief is that it was inflicted on her by a human. She was rescued underweight and flea and tick infested. Bottom line, she was not treated well in her previous life.
Fast forward to today. She gets two nutritious meals a day, sleeps on couches, has free reign of the backyard, gets walks when this crazy human isn't too lazy, has her extended adoptive family, and is loved on often every single day. This morning, she was in my lap and I was holding this 60lb dog like a baby, petting her head and talking sweetly to her. She was looking me directly in the eyes and had such a look of contentment married with a great sense of security. Then I pet her on her side and accidentally brushed against her scar - she jumped and her skin rolled. For a moment, she was insecure but quickly came back to contentment and security.
If I were able to be a fly on the wall and see my relationship with God, I think it would look a lot like what I saw this morning with Kate. I often experience contentment and security and then someone touches my scar and I jump. Most of the time I do not rebound as quickly as my canine companion did today. However, I hope that in the future I will since I have seen the situation from a different perspective. As I saw Kate's countenance change, my heart hurt a bit. I believe God must view me the same way at times. "Relax my child. Even though that scar is healed, I've allowed a little feeling to remain so that you won't forget where you came from and where you are now." I know that His love for me is so much greater than what I feel for Kate - and my friends that is unfathomable to me because I sure love that four legged child of mine. Unfathomable it may be, but it is a fact that I embrace and celebrate. Hope you do the same.
No comments:
Post a Comment