| Del Fehsenfeld Jr |
Be willing to pay the price for God. Never ever be ashamed to stand up and look crazy, or to stand up with someone who everyone thinks is disgraceful, when you're standing for Christ.
Jason was walking with his mother down the street. He was 8 years old, and his mother held his hand because of the heavy traffic of pedestrians on the sidewalk. He couldn’t help but notice people staring at his mother’s face, which was scared and deformed.
A little girl saw his mother and with wide eyes began to scream. “MOMMY! MOMMY! IT’S A MONSTER!!” The little girl’s mother tried to quiet her daughter but the little girl just cried and screamed all the more. Jason watched as the little girl disappeared into the crowd behind them.
He looked at his mother’s face and at how people were staring even more at her now. His stomach churned with shame. With a hard yank of his hand, he freed himself from his mother’s grasp and ran into the crowd. He had to get away from her. She was ugly and he didn’t want anyone to know that he was with her. He didn’t want to be known as the son of a monster who scared little children.
He could hear his mother calling out his name, but that just spurred him on faster. He had to get away from her. He ran as fast as he could, trying to dodge around the people he saw through tear filled eyes.
Hands grabbed him by the shoulders and halted his escape. Looking up he saw his Uncle Pete's face. “Whoa there Jason. Where you running off to so fast? Your mom is calling you. She sounds worried.”
Jason looked back towards his mother’s voice. Looking to his uncle he blurted out, “I don’t want to be with her. Everyone stares at her.”
Sadness washed over Uncle Pete’s face, and he nodded his understanding. Standing he waved towards Jason’s mother. “I have him here Katie.”
When she arrived she scolded Jason, who stood quietly with his head bowed down. Uncle Pete and his mother greeted each other, and then his uncle asked if he could take Jason for a soda while she went into the store. She said he could if Jason promised to be good.
Jason felt so relieved to be away from his mother. When they sat in the restaurant booth he said, “Thanks Uncle Pete. I knew you would understand how I don’t like being seen with mom.”
Uncle Pete stopped drinking his soda and looked Jason hard into his eyes. “I am ashamed of you. Do you know why your mother has those scars on her face and most of her body?”
Jason could feel Uncle Pete’s eyes boring into him as he slowly answered in a meek voice. “She was burned in a fire.”
Uncle Pete gave a heavy sigh. “Jason, your mom never told you everything because she never wanted you to feel any guilt, but I think you need to know the whole story.
“You were a year old when the fire occurred. It was night time and dad was at work. Your mother was sleeping soundly when she suddenly woke up. She always says it was God who woke her. She found that the house was on fire and smoke was quickly filling the rooms. The first thing she thought of was saving you.
“She opened her door to find the hallway full of flames. She could have easily gone out the bedroom window and escaped, but she was not going to leave you. She ran down the burning hallway to your room. She grabbed you and wrapped a blanket around you to help protect you from the fire’s heat and flames. She then ran back through the flames, holding you to her. She couldn’t see anything because of the smoke, but she somehow made it out of the house and collapsed just outside the door.
“Firemen arrived just as she escaped. They had to put out the flames of her burning clothes. She and you were taken to the hospital where they found that you were just fine because of your mother’s brave rescue. The doctors didn't think she would live long. I think the only reason she survived all the burns was because she loved you so much and wanted to be with you. She was in and out the hospital for so many surgeries that we all lost count.
Uncle Pete reached out to take Jason’s hand. “Boy, when you look at those scars, don’t you ever be ashamed. She bears those scars as proof of her love for you. Love so pure and rich that she would gladly do it all again.”
Just then Jason’s mother came into the restaurant. Jason saw her and with tears in his eyes, he ran to her. Wrapping his arms around her, he cried out, “Mommy! I love you. I am sorry I ran away from you. I’ll never run away again.”
People throughout the restaurant stared at his mother as he proudly walked beside her. Whatever they thought didn’t matter. He was going to make sure that they knew she was his mother, and he was proud to be with her.
Jesus’ scars are there because of his pure and rich love for you. If he had to he would do it all over again. Never be ashamed of him. If you look like a crazy shirtless fool dancing by yourself, so be it. If it means joining someone who everyone thinks is some kind of a weird idiot, so be it. God calls you to stop following the ways of the world. If you look like a wide eyed fanatical Christian fundamentalist, so be it. You stepping out to embrace Christ wholeheartedly, could be the first step in the salvation of your friends and family. It could be the beginning of a revival that will spread to thousands.
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
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