WITNESSING,
MOTIVATION FOR

A LITTLE girl treated her mother badly because she was ashamed of her. Her mother had a big, ugly scar on her face. She looked horrible. The little girl would never bring her friends around because of the scar on her mother’s face. She would never invite her mother to school functions because of the scar on her face. Her mother finally asked her, “Honey, why don’t you ever bring your friends around? Why don’t you ever invite me to anything?”

She said, “Mama, it’s the scar on your face. I can’t bear to introduce you to others.”

Her mother said, “Darling, sit down. Let me tell you something I’ve never told you about the scar on my face. One day, I went out to draw water when you were a little girl, and when I looked back from the well, I saw the house was on fire. I rushed back in, dropped my water, and came and grabbed you, my little baby, out of the crib. The fire was engulfing you, but I got there just in the nick of time. On my way out the house, one of the beams of the house collapsed and hit me across the face. It knocked me to the ground and seethed on my face for a period of time before I could get it off, but I was able to throw you to safety. I just wanted you to know, darling, the next time you don’t want your friends to see me, that the only reason I have a scar on my face is because I was saving your life.”

Jesus has some scars on His hands. He’s got scars on His feet. He’s got a scar on His side. Let me tell you how He got those scars. You and I were on our way to hell. We were on our way to be separated from a holy God forever. But Jesus Christ looked down, and He didn’t want us to suffer the consequences of sin. He told the Father, “I’ll go.” He came down and stretched out on a cross. They nailed His hands in the cross, His feet on the cross, and stuck a spear in His side.

So the next time you don’t want to tell anybody about Him, remember how He got His scars. The next time you don’t want to be a disciple, remember how He got His scars. The next time you don’t want to live for Him, remember how He got His scars. When you remember, tell Him you’ll follow Him for the rest of your days.1037

[Evangelism, Responsibility of; Salvation, Gratefulness for; Witnessing]

John 20:24–29; Rom. 1:16