Smokey and Forgiveness

Smokey's stitches



Yesterday I picked up my cat from my vet, took one look at her incision, and knew what my next Bible lesson would be. Forgiveness.

About a week or so ago, Smokey came home with some marks on her, like animal bites. The next day she began chewing her fur around the marks, and I began to see the nicks and cuts more clearly. For a few days she kept the chewing up, and licked those places raw. At that point, I knew it was time for the vet. Sure enough, she had been attacked by an animal in the woods around my house, and would need all kinds of shots and medicine. The doctor called me within an hour of dropping Smokey off and suggested surgery. They went in and took out all the damaged, infected tissue from the 9 bites, and stitched her up. Within 36 hours, I had my Smokey back. She isn't happy with the e-collar, but I've found that PetSmart offers a soft version of one. She has to wear it for 2 weeks, so I might as well help her to enjoy it.

However, when you look at Smokey now, you don't notice her beautiful gray and white fur, her half-tail that usually gets a comment from visitors, or even how she smiles when she looks up at you. Not anymore. You see the stitches, the scar. Fortunately, the stitches will come out in a couple of weeks, the incision will heal, and the fur will grow back. But the scar will always be there.

In the Bible, David tells us in Psalm 103 that God loves us and is merciful to us if we fear Him. He remembers that we are just human and that we are going to make mistakes. Once we confess our faults, He forgives our sins and remembers them no more. Specifically we are told in 103:12, "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us."

I often tell teenagers that God is a GOD of second chances. He does forgive, but we should be thankful to have a scar of our sin to remind us just exactly what He did for us. Forgiveness is a wonderful thing. To forgive someone relieves burdens and cleanses the soul. But to BE FORGIVEN is like new life. It is a new start with God, a person who has forgiven you, or a situation for which you finally forgive yourself. Stop dwelling on the mistake, but focus on the healing that has been done. The scar will eventually become faint. The pain is tough now; you may feel as though you just want to die. Sometimes the pain is caused from others who are careless and scar you. But trust God that He doesn't allow anything randomly. Everything we go through as a Christian has a purpose. Maybe it is to get your focus back on God. Maybe it is to know the pain of someone else so you have compassion. Maybe it is to grow you and humble you as far as patience with other people is concerned.

One time I had a heartache and Ms. Belinda stayed up all night with me. We sat outside on an Indiana winter evening for hours swinging and talking about trials that God sees us through. She told me that it would get easier, and that I would eventually get through it, but to never, ever forget what the pain felt like. Basically she meant, don't forget the scar of hurt. I have used that situation literally hundreds of times in these past 15 years.
I've never worried about forgetting. I've never forgotten.The owner of a scar NEVER forgets where the scar is.
Forgive, and move on. Allow yourself to be forgiven. Keep  your scars.

God bless.