From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.
Dearest Ladies,
HAPPY FRIDAY!!! Yay!!! Hooray!!!
Fight forward!!!
The BEST is yet to come!!!
I imagine that most of us bear stretch marks from pregnancy. If you recall, our bodies underwent enormous change in order to sustain the life and growth of our babies. Our minds, and bodies, were stretched to accommodate the greatness that blossomed in our wombs.
No two pregnancies are alike and neither are stretch marks. Each pregnancy and stretch mark is a beautiful symbol of God's goodness, grace, and mercy. Have you ever traced one of your stretch marks with your finger and marveled at the goodness of our incredible, miraculous God that orchestrated an incredible, miraculous process in our wombs. It's a surreal notion. Our stretch marks are a testament to our tenacity, courage, strength, and resilience; they represent a constellation of experiences and memories that have beautifully and wonderfully shaped our identities and lives.
Even in instances wherein a darling baby did not survive the journey from womb to earthside, God is good! In the case of babies that never journeyed home with us, stretch marks take on a new and different meaning of survivorship. But, God does indeed use all of our experiences to make us better people. Suffering is rarely, ever welcomed but it refines us like nothing else. Simply put, survivorship equates to a very unique, multi-faceted identity, experience, and undertaking.
Long after labor and delivery, our stretch marks can remind us of our journeys to motherhood or temporal loss. Nevertheless, stretch marks can remind us that we are victors, champions, warriors, overcomers, survivors, winners and conquerors etc. Stretch marks are symbolically prophetic in that they foretell of our ability to fight and win future battles. Stretch marks corroborate our tales of tenacity, perseverance, and above all, resilience.
Marks are important identifiers. Every scar that we bear is linked to a certain time, season, and stage in our lives. The marks, but more so the memories they invoke, keep us grounded in our identities as individuals and mothers. Our stretch marks herald our history, but let's remember the marks of Christ as we press toward our future....as we strive to parent for His glory. The marks of Christ anchor our purpose and calling for today and tomorrow.
The apostle Paul admonished the early church to refrain from glorifying in the mark of circumcision. He was careful to inform early believers that God is most concerned with the circumcision of their hearts. Hence, obedience is better than sacrifice.
Under the old covenant, physical circumcision was necessary to identity Abraham's children and followers of God. But, when Christ was crucified, He took on the most important marks of the new covenant. Christ's marks are the sole, lasting, important, incredible marks of our faith.
Christ's pierced brow, side, hands, and feet are the last required physical marks of Christianity. Because of Christ's sacrificial death, believers are identified by bearing the marks of Christ rather than bearing the mark of physical circumcision. Through obedience to God's will and way, we bear the marks of Christ. By worshipping God in spirit and truth, we partake in Christ's suffering and bear His marks.
Ladies, let's draw our strength today from the marks we bear. Our stretch marks speak of our resilience. Yet, the marks of Christ speak of our glorious present and future. We bear these marks until God welcomes us home. When you consider your earthly sufferings, remember they are temporal. Please remind yourself that you look a whole lot better in eternity. Have a great afternoon! Have a wonderful weekend!
Love and blessings
Hugs
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