I was ‘tweeting’ a bit yesterday and checked out the updates for an amazing gal that I like to keep up with. She is a woman after God’s heart with her life full of struggles and is headed for her 3rd brain surgery suffering from epilepsy. Yet it’s not her circumstances that I write about… it’s how she is allowing God to use her during her life on this earth. She has a couple of blogs and a very healthy twitter following. She also uses YouTube to post videos about how prayer and God are sustaining her through this trial and to educate on the illness.  I am humbled by the extent to which she is stepping out of her circumstance and testifying to God’s saving grace, amazing mercy, and immense love for her and her family. She is ministering to thousands… maybe millions.

‘Whoever acknowledges me before men I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.  But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.’  Matthew 10:32-33

Last May I attended a women’s retreat with a friend and was honored to hear Sharon Jaynes speak. She’s a dynamo from Texas with a heart that is focused on helping woman come to their fullness in Christ.  She spoke about women who are scarred – whether it be physical or mental – and how that scar tells a story and can be used to help others.  She has written a book Your scars are beautiful to God.  In it she says,

‘Scars, by their very nature, imply there’s a story to tell. While some are on the surface, most are hidden in deep recesses of the soul. But like buried treasure, God’s longs for us to unearth those jewels, come out of hiding, and invest those scars in the lives of others.’

That’s what my twitter buddy is doing.  She’s taking her experiences, her struggles, her pains, her worries and testifying to how our Lord has carried her through and drawn her to Him during this time.  She is testifying to her eternal hope!  She is testifying that there is nothing greater than the love of Christ in her life.  She is letting her scars tell a story of redemption and saving grace.

We all have scars.  We all have stories to tell.  In fact, we all have circumstances that God has allowed in our lives to refine us and draw us closer to Him. Those who testify to how the Lord is working in their lives are showing that they place greater value on eternity than on today.  Their daily life is less focused on the to do lists, scheduling and the weekend plans and more focused on sharing the love of Christ and His redemptive power with all whom they meet.

‘For, all I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.  Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame.  Their mind is on earthly things.  But our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.’ Philippians 3:18-20.

So… do you have a story to tell.  Have your circumstances in life created a Pulitzer prize novel or a 5 minute mystery?  Prayerfully consider how you can minister to others by testifying to what you’ve been through and to how the Lord has lifted you up, led you through, healed you, and redeemed you.  I guarantee that there is someone out there just waiting to hear.  Their eternal life may depend upon it… that’s why you must testify!

P.S. A list of scars in case you’re not certain that you have one (in no particular order)… alcoholism, drugs, pornography, lust, extramarital affairs, anger, mental abuse, physical abuse, loss of child, loss of spouse, illness, injury, loss of financial stability, loss of job, loss of status, loss of reputation, broken relationships, broken marriage, obesity, abortion.  Do you have any to add?