Freeper Canteen ~ Sunday Chapel Thread ~ WHY DO WE STILL HAVE SCARS? ~ November 8, 2009

The Canteen Crew ^ | November 7, 2009 | Serving the Best Troops in the World!

[Brad’s Gramma]

 

 

 

 

 

WHY DO WE STILL HAVE SCARS?

One of the greatest truths we can know in life is that God is always able and willing to forgive us for our shortcomings. All we have to do is ask for His forgiveness. And if God is willing, then we too, should forgive ourselves. Yet one of the greatest ironies concerning forgiveness is that the painful memories the scars of our past remain with us. We may wonder, "What's the sense in receiving forgiveness if the scars from the painful memory remain?" Maybe the question should be, "What goes through your mind when you are confronted with the scars of your forgiven past."

The answer to this question is found in Zephaniah 3:17, "The Lord your God is with you; His power gives you victory. The Lord will take delight in you, and in His love He will give you new life. He will sing and be joyful over you." It is God's desire to rejoice over you with pride!

A minister humorously explained it like this: A proud parent always carries a picture of his child in his wallet and when given the opportunity will happily show the picture to anyone. So it is with God. God loves us so much and is so proud of us that He too, in a sense, carries a picture of us in His wallet and will gladly show it for any angel to see. I know that it is a funny notion to think that God really carries a wallet, but the minister used this exaggeration to illustrate the fact that God has caring thoughts about us. Zephaniah takes us a step further and says that when God looks upon us, He is so overcome by joy that He sings over us, the same way a mother sings over her newborn baby.

So what goes through your mind when you are confronted by the scars of past mistakes for which you have already received God's forgiveness? Instead of becoming sad and condemning yourself, take it as an opportunity to rejoice in the fact that God has forgiven you. Allow the scars of life to remind you that God is indeed rejoicing over you and is willing to empower you to live a life of joy and forgiveness. Allow the scars of your forgiven past to remind you that you are now the "apple of God's eye." Allow the scars of your past to be a spring board for you to rejoice in what God wants to do with your life in the here and now. And if you will listen closely enough, you will hear Him joyfully sing over you.

LT Patrick Sturm, CHC, USNR

 

[Brad’s Gramma]

Onward Christian Soldiers

Dear God:
I ask that no Airman, Coast Guardsman,
Marine, Sailor, Soldier, Reservist, or National Guardsman
Feel alone or forgotten.



O Israel, hope in the Lord;
For with the Lord there is lovingkindness,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
And He will redeem Israel
From all his iniquities.

Psalm 130:7 & 8

[Brad’s Gramma]

Oh! Hai!!!

[SandRat]

Happy Day to you.

[Brad’s Gramma]

And to you too, SandRat....!

[Jet Jaguar]

[Marie]

Old Home Week? :-)

[Kathy in Alaska]

Please join us for Sunday Chapel and Liberty

Please stop in and say a prayer of protection for the military.
Prayers from all denominations are needed.

           


Sunday Liberty starts after the Guest Military Chaplain's Service!

[Marie]

Hi SandRat!

[SandRat]

HiYa Marie.

[AZamericonnie]

LeAnn Rimes~Amazing Grace

[Brad’s Gramma]

Yep! I guess so!

GREAT to see you!!

[Brad’s Gramma]

Thanks, Connie......blessed Lord’s day to you!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good Lord's Day to you and yours, Marie, and welcome to the Canteen. Thanks to your hubby for his service to our country.

[Marie]

Good to see you guys, as well!

Hubby *loves* you guys! For the last three deployments, FReepers have always reached out to his company. He actually became friends with Kattracks and misses her deeply.

The troops know who their FRiends are! lol!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good to hear. We do our best to support 24/7/365.

[Brad’s Gramma]

Kathy’s a drone. She NEVER sleeps.

:)

I’m SO happy to hear that your hubby and company have benefited...Please tell him thanks SO much for his service!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks, Grammie, for today's Sunday Chapel

[HopeandGlory]

Good morning Troops, Veterans and Canteeners.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Our Flag Flying Proudly One Nation Under God

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Lord, Please Bless Our Troops, They're fighting for our Freedom.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

God Bless Our Republic

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic, for which it stands;
one nation UNDER GOD,
indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.

Prayers going up

[Brad’s Gramma]

You're welcome, drone Kath...