Pages

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Battle Scars and Open Wounds



"If the disease breaks out all over their skin and, so far as the priest can see, it covers all the skin of the affected person from head to foot, the priest is to examine them, and if the disease has covered their whole body, he shall pronounce them clean. Since it has all turned white, they are clean. But whenever raw flesh appears on them, they will be unclean. When the priest sees the raw flesh, he shall pronounce them unclean. The raw flesh is unclean; they have a defiling disease. If the raw flesh changes and turns white, they must go to the priest. The priest is to examine them, and if the sores have turned white, the priest shall pronounce the affected person clean; then they will be clean. (Leviticus 13:12-17 NIV)


Have you ever read through the Old Testament regulations for what is clean and unclean?  The details are rather amazing.  Sometimes, when I don't skim over them but actually read them, the regulations surprise me.  This one is an example.

I would expect that a person that has obviously been affected by a dreaded skin disease, with evidence covering him or her from head to toe, would be considered unclean and banished from the camp.  The exact opposite is true.  This person is "clean."

I would expect a person with a little sore that is still open and raw would be considered clean.  It's just a little sore, after all.  Nope.  This person is "unclean."

It got me thinking.  Often times the people most active in the church are often the ones with "open wounds" and who are looking for healing.  They so desperately want help that they are willing to join groups, help on teams, and even run things.  All the while, they have "raw flesh" that hurts every time someone bumps up against it.  They are hurting.  What they really need is a safe place to heal and people who will love them.

On the other hand, others think they can't be be of any use to God in His Church because of their old battle scars.  They've experienced being beaten up, hurt, and thrown out.  Sometimes they have been thrown out by the church.  But those battle scars show what they've been through, not what we're going through now.  If anything, they have experiences that God can and will use to help the healing of others...if they will let Him.

It's counter-intuitive, I know.  But maybe that's the way God wants it.  It's just one more place where His wisdom outshines the wisdom of the world.

No comments:

Post a Comment