Our Stories
The Parable of the Wart
By Char Forslund | posted 05/29/2008
"Share each others troubles and problems, and so obey our Lord’s command." (Galatians 6:2, The Living Bible)
The Kingdom of God is like a woman who, already stunningly attractive, sought to improve her appearance by having a wart removed from her left hand. On the day of the medical procedure she valiantly braved the "freeze stuff" and burning pain to attain her goal. The doctor instructed, "It will burn and then blister. Leave it completely alone and in a few days it will start to dry up and then after a week or two it will heal and peal off leaving new skin." How exciting she thought. No wart! New skin!
And THEN the unthinkable happened. The very next day, while obediently attaching her car seat belt, the blister was ripped off! Pain! Agony! Band Aid! It got worse...the deep, open wound got infected and, truth to be told, after many weeks of tender loving, antibiotic care, the healing of the wound was finally complete. Now a bright red scar occupied the place of the former wart. What had never been really noticeable was now obviously evident.
Since it was coming up to Spring in the land where she lived, gloves were not an option. Cover-up cream! The right hand over the left hand grasp? The hand in the pocket response? Or ACCEPTANCE, (what a concept). So the woman bravely showed her left hand as usual, going about her daily tasks and activities. Low and behold many people, commenting on her small red scar and hearing her story, shared their wart stories with her! Conversations were held, and in sharing their wartyness, strangers and acquaintances became friends. Relationships were built. Vulnerabilities were revealed. Commitments were made. Concerns for others were confided. Prayer was offered and received. Life changing decisions occurred and God was served.
The small red scar became a constant reminder to her that warts and all, He calls her daily to Kingdom walking. He is a present tense God, calling her to serve Him by being open and vulnerable with a willingness to listen to others and build relationships. He keeps joyfully reminding her every day to listen for His voice, and let Him guide her in Kingdom walking, warts and all.
My daily life is truly much more warty than this parable implies. Personally this has been a long, cold winter for me, especially physically but also emotionally. I have longed for the sun, and for the Son, but I have kept my hand in my pocket most of the time. I've kept my gloves on and my hood up...refusing to accept my warts and confess to you my vulnerability and my daily need for prayer, relationship, support, hugs and reassurance. I have given hints and pieces of information, but I have not truly revealed the expanse and intensity of the physical pain and my struggle every day to deal with the body God has called me to live in. God grant that as I share the parable of the wart with all of you, it will prompt each of us to reveal to one another the warts we deal with in our lives every day and to tell our stories with trust, love, and hope. Shall we dare to show our wounds to one another and trust God to help us become even more a community where we connect the realities of our everyday lives with our faith in Jesus Christ? It's called Kingdom walking, warts and all!
Love and Joy!
Char
P.S. Ask me to show you my left hand on Sunday!!!
To respond to this message, email Char at charforslund@comcast.net.
