Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
– 1 Peter 2:11

I was moving steadily with the flow of traffic trying to make my way to my destination in a reasonable amount of time. My young daughter’s were in the backseat cheerfully singing along to the music playing in the car.

This particular day, of all days, I had felt somewhat pulled together. Everything I had aimlessly pulled out of my closet that morning flowed into a somewhat stylish ensemble. Score. I had just had my hair done and I was wearing a little make-up on my face. Double score. I was messy on the inside, but on the outside I was doing just fine.

For some odd reason I had looked down and noticed a small blemish on my jeans. They were freshly washed so I was puzzled as to what could have made the mark. I tried to rub it away but with no measure of success.

The blemish on my pants began to needle at me. It bothered me that it was there and I couldn’t do anything about it.

My irritation halted as God’s Spirit moved in.

Why are you so concerned about a small blemish on your jeans that no one will ever notice? You should be concerned about the small blemish on your soul that everyone can see.

Ouch. That one hurt.

My mind did the rewind reel. Just hours earlier, in a moment of frustration over something insignificant, my husband and I had an argument that was ridiculous. The type of argument that every married couple has, but in the moment it makes one feel misunderstood and angry. During the rewind reel I realized that ridiculous argument- and my less than stellar performance during said argument- left a blemish on my soul. A blemish that- if left untouched- would cause a unsightly scar that everyone would be able to see.

I find it so interesting that we tend to focus so much of our mental and emotional energy on things that no one would ever notice, yet we tend to lose sight- or completely ignore- the very things that shape us into the persons we project onto the world.

Oh my. What a heavy thought to pray on this day. Moments of frustration possess the ability to bring out our ugliest of behaviour. I believe this is why Scripture tells us to be slow to anger:

Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. – Proverbs 14:29

The Lord desires us to simmer in wisdom. By doing this we can avoid foolishness and the rewind reel. Yes, this is wisdom and The Lord greatly desires for us to submit unto Christ’s authority so that we may be more like Him in character:

… and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. – Joel 2:13

So, Father, help us to see the things we need to see and let go of the things we need to set free. Only you can heal the blemishes and fade the scars. Amen. 

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