Fasten your seatbelts, Friends. We’re about to enter the busiest, most chaotic, and most stressful season of the year! We call it, “the holidays”. Why? I haven’t a clue. When I think of “holiday”, I think of rest…sweet, sweet rest. As in: sit by the fireplace with a hot mug of Starbuck’s and write Christmas cards. Leisurely flip through the December edition of Southern Living and clip new recipes. Throw on my well-worn sweats and a pair of thick socks and watch movies all afternoon. Now THAT’S what I call a “holiday”. » Continue Reading

“In Heaven, God isn’t going to look us over for our medals, but for our scars.”

In a society that measures success in terms of medals, this old saying is one we easily shrug off. But today, it hits me hard. So I ponder, meditate, chew on it for a while, and invite you to do the same.

My musings lead me to one of my favorite Bible characters, Stephen. You’ll find his story in Acts 6 and 7. A quick study of Stephen will reveal that he was a gifted administrator and teacher, with a powerful ability to communicate and debate. He was known for his spiritual qualities of faith, wisdom, grace, and for the Spirit’s presence in his life.

Considering his many gifts and abilities, you’d expect Stephen to rally a group of passionate men and lead them into the cause. Maybe even strategize the perfect expansion plan, executing it with wisdom and keen discernment. Certainly that’s what we would expect of someone with his qualifications today. But guess what position Stephen was delegated? SERVANT. That’s right — one of the food distribution managers for the new believers. Doesn’t sound very glamorous, does it? It certainly wouldn’t make him the star of an awards banquet or even the recipient of a certificate of recognition. No medal would ever grace the shelves of Stephen’s trophy case. Yet God considered him worthy of a much higher honor. He would bear the excruciating scars of martyrdom.

I can’t help it. I cry every time I read the account:

“The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists in rage. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily upward into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand.”(Acts 7:54-55)

Stephen was well aware of where his provocation would lead. The members of the Council could not stand to have their evil motives exposed. Stephen was speaking his own death sentence. Can you even imagine? Yet without hesitation, with no thought of self-preservation, he eloquently lays out the Truth in its purest form. The results?

“Then they put their hands over their ears, and drowning out his voice with their shouts, they rushed at him. They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him….And as they stoned him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And he fell to his knees, shouting, ‘Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!’ And with that, he died.” (Acts 7:57-60)

Evil men live and loving men die. Bad things happen to good people. And medals are sometimes pinned on the chests of the undeserving. Sometimes life just isn’t fair, is it? But let us be reminded today, my Friends, that God is not looking us over for our medals. Truly, the accolades of this world mean nothing to him. But oh, how we thrill his heart with the scars we bear. Most likely, neither you nor I will ever be called on to sacrifice our natural lives as martyrs. Yet every day we are given opportunities to die for him. When we swallow our pride. When we risk rejection by speaking his name. When we fight through adversity. When we bow the knee in submission to his will. When we choose joy in oppressive circumstances. When we love those who hurt us.

So many great men of the Bible were scarred as evidence of their love for God. Jacob walked with a permanent limp. David bore the wounds of a valiant warrior. Paul was battered by multiple shipwrecks. Peter and John were flogged for preaching the Gospel. Stephen was stoned for telling the truth. And Jesus was brutalized and crucified for love.

Medals or scars? When we look at it from God’s perspective, there’s really no comparison, is there? One is wood, hay, and stubble. The other is gold, silver, and precious stones. So why do we work so hard for the medals? May God give us the grace today to trade every one of them in, that we might walk through this life proudly displaying one scar after another. And maybe, just maybe, we, like Stephen, will see an opened heaven and get a tiny glimpse of the Ultimate Martyr, whose scars are still clearly visible. Such an awesome vision would surely quench our thirst for worldly medals and produce a strange love for sacrificial scars. May it be so in your life and mine today.