Cornerstone Church of God
Arcadia, Nova Scotia, Canada
Lessons
From A Wounded Soldier - Paul Branscombe
That is why for Christ's sake, I
delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in
difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2
Corinthians 12:10 (NIV)
A friend of my mother and father
in-law's, Arthur Falt, was injured in a battle during WWII. Shrapnel
from enemy gunfire hit him and left him injured. This bullet would
forever change his life. Little tiny fragments were embedded in his
body until the day he died. All of us have been injured too. We were
shot by hostile fire and it left us bleeding and wounded for a long
time. We have held onto a lifetime of hurts, betrayal and bad
feelings. Life can never be simple again, and the gunshot from years
ago still hurts. As a fellow wounded soldier there are several
lessons that we can learn.
First lesson from a wounded soldier is
a dangerous bullet.
But he said to me, "My grace is
sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that
Christ's power may rest on me.
Corinthians 12:9
(NIV)
No matter how hard we
try, we cannot stop the bullet that hit us. No amount of years spent
in therapy or counseling can remove the tragedy. We would like to
close our eyes and have the misery simply go away. Life does not work
like that. We must admit that we have been injured and are bleeding.
A deep wound must be dealt with properly. That rag that was tied to
your side to cover the wound is useless. Follow me and I will take
you to a doctor. He can deal with the pain and infections that time
has caused.
Life has no rewind like a VCR or a
DVD player. We cannot skip the parts of life that are unpleasant. We
are involved in the entire process. Perhaps when bad things happen,
our greatest lessons can be learned. I have learned great spiritual
truths about relying on God when the dark clouds of life rolled into
my life. I had no choice but to put my faith in Him. God helps us so
that we can gain strength. When we look back at our life we realize
that Jesus has put His arms around our waist and held us up when we
could not stand. Sometimes the wounds of life leave us powerless.
I remember putting my hand on a
hot stove as a child. OWWW!! I did not leave my hand there. I took
it off and treated the wound. You may still feel the heat from the
burn. A burn can leave you sensitive for a long time. If you have
been wounded you will feel sensitive in the area you have been hurt.
To a point, that is a good thing. God wants you to be sensitive to
the needs and concerns all around you. In a crowd you can spot the
same people dealing with wounds similar to yours. God can use this
hurt to become a benefit and blessing to others. All we have to do is
be available to Him. Maybe we can help treat the wounds of a wounded
soldier.
Second lesson from a wounded soldier is
lack of strength.
In the same way, the Spirit helps
us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the
Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot
express.
Romans 8:26 (NIV)
We are not supermen and
superwomen. The bullet that hit you will take all your strength.
Lying in a pool of your own blood, your life flashes before your
eyes. You remember the energy and the strength that you once had
obtained from life. All that has changed now. In a way you are just
a former shell of what you once were. That wound in your side
occupies all of your thoughts and dreams now. It is hard to
concentrate on anything else. Have you ever hurt your leg or arm?
That pain alters our strength and focus. When our leg hurts,
everything we do or lift causes us pain. That area of problem becomes
our focus and steals our strength.
An old steel bridge was built many
years ago. It connected two towns together and both towns were very
pleased with the new steel structure. Thirty years went by and
everyone took the bridge for granted. Rust started on the underside
of the bridge. More years went by and the rust continued to grow.
One day a car drove over the bridge and the structure broke. Problems
in our life are like that bridge. They go unchecked until they
finally leave us helpless. With God's help we are never helpless.
Perhaps you like to pretend that
your life is perfect. No problems or worries. When you walk there is
a slight limp. You cannot hide your pain. Those old wounds are still
there and sometimes they still ache. I can see your face wrenching up
with every step you take. Your face tells a tragic story. No one is
perfect. Everyone struggles: it is good to know that. When we rely
on God, we will find a strength that goes beyond our own power.
Third lesson from a wounded soldier is
a need for help.
For the foolishness of God is wiser
that man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's
strength.
1 Corinthians
1:25 (NIV)
It comes to a point when we are
severely wounded that we must have constant help. You may have to
hire others to do jobs you are no longer capable of doing. You may
feel sad about what you cannot do. You think back to the time when
life was better and you were not injured. It is good to ask for
help. We as children of God are a part of the same team. When one
person is down, we are all down. We are all struggling to lift each
other up. We pray for the need of those all around us to build up and
strengthen the body of Christ.
We take on too many burdens
alone. Life seems long, hard and stressful. It is like driving
through a huge tunnel that never seems to end. All we see is darkness
all around us. The problems of life and stealing your joy. God is
whispering in your ear. Lean close and hear Him say, "chill". Let go
of all your worries about the future and give them to Him. We cannot
change the future. This will bring your stress level to about a two
instead of closer to a nine. If there is a concern that you cannot
stop thinking about, bring it to Jesus. Anytime you feel at stress,
pray. You will feel that your load is lighter.
When we receive help from others,
a bond is created. This unites and edifies a church. We are unified
and strong as a group. A church protects and teaches everyone that
will listen. We all work together as a unified army for Christ. The
church has one purpose and one goal. That is to proclaim the Truth.
Our life and sensitivity will be a witness to what is Truth. We will
be light in a very dark world.
Conclusion
We are all wounded soldiers. Life
has injured us and weakened us. When we go to Heaven, God will have a
parade for you. We will all march together in victory! He will thank
you for your commitment and service.