Nothing is too ugly for God!
In earlier posts I have mentioned Don Piper and his incredible story of literally dying in a car crash, remaining dead for at least an hour & a half (confirmed by several medical personnel on the scene), visiting heaven during this time, then returning to what was left of his earthly body. He tells his story in “90 Minutes in Heaven” (a MUST read!). I am currently reading his second book, “Heaven Is Real,” published last year. I will have more from this book in the next few days, but I just read something that really “hit home” with me and I want to share it!
“Every day when I’m in the shower, I look at these ugly scars. They’re better than they were in the beginning, but they will never completely disappear.
Hidden scars can be painful. I’m talking about those deep, inner pains that no one can see from the outside — those feelings of being rejected, unloved, and pushed away. I think of the man who had a series of affairs and said finally, “I never felt loved. I went from one woman to another because I wanted to feel loved. Each time I met a new woman, I tried to convince myself that she was the one.” He shook his head slowly. “But she never was.”
Or I think of a pilot I met in the hospital. His plane crashed and he was the only survivor. Not only did he have many, many physical pains but he talked briefly about what we often call survivor guilt.
On national television, a young man spoke of his being rescued from a coal mine. He was the only one in the group who survived. He couldn’t get beyond that.
Many of us learn to live with physical scars and disfigurement, but not everyone can live comfortably with the invisible ones. One way to deal with them is to talk about them. I feel truly honored when people reveal those hidden scars. And I believe that for some people just talking to me – or emailing me or phoning me – becomes their first major step toward healing those invisible scars.
Today I’m often introduced as the “Minister of Hope” and that has a nice sound to it, but I want it to be more than some tagline. I want that ministry of hope to say, “I’m here to tell you that God knows every secret scar and loves you. Nothing is too ugly for God.”
I want to see people freed from their inner pain. I can assure them that heaven is a place of total tranquility and perfection. They’ll have no scars of any kind there. Jesus will be the only one in heaven to have scars – to remind us how we got there. But I don’t want them to wait until they cross that final bridge. I want them to experience healing now.”
December 14 2008 05:51 pm | Bible and Christianity and Church and Faith and Family and God and Grace and Hope and Inspirational and Jesus and Life and Love and Mercy and Opinion and People and Personal and Philosophy and Quotes and Religion and Spiritual and Theology and Thoughts
