Conquerors Carry Scars by Gittel Fruma

While 2020 brought about many things within this country and worldwide that are not cause for rejoicing, many people will still make the best of things this Christmas. As people reach the New Year, many will choose to believe that 2021 will bring change. I have spoken to no one who would prefer to repeat the events of this year or to prolong them.

However, there are many around the world this year who find themselves in dire circumstances. There are many without food, without shelter, without financial security, and without loved ones.

The pandemic has been a focus of attention this year and has claimed many lives. There have also been lives taken by hunger and poverty issues which have been exasperated in most countries because of the economic slowdown resulting from COVID-19.

There are many predicting that 2021 will hold worldwide catastrophes of all sorts, ranging from economic tailspins to environmental disasters. The political atmosphere of the U.S. and much of the world remains delicate and volatile. There are many things that are not as they should be. While we hope we will find relief this coming year, the projections are dismal at best.

And yet, children of God, we have a choice.

You can choose the comfort of God despite suffering, or you can choose to suffer despite the comfort of God.

We are told countless times by Jesus Himself, Peter, Paul, James, and others that we will experience suffering in this world. We can see from Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and other men of renown that the promises of God come through suffering.

Suffering and seasons may be the only two constants in the universe outside of God Himself. Nothing of value in this world or the next comes without sacrifice. And no season in this life lasts forever.

However, God can work everything, everything, to the good of those who love Him. And when I say everything, I mean everything.

I am not saying evil things will become good. They will always be ugly, painful, and wrong. But we serve a God who can redeem what has been stolen. He can redeem us, and He can redeem our situations.

We overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony (Revelations 12:11), and we are more than conquerors in Christ (Romans 8:37). However, to be more than a conqueror, you must first conquer something. You cannot call yourself a victor without the hope of victory.

Many of us are not ready to trust God and find comfort in Him amid our suffering. We ask God to remove the suffering and to stop the pain. We pray to be taken away from the situation or to have the situation taken away from us.

These are normal reactions and common prayers, but they are not the prayers that will get us to the other side victorious.

We must pray for grace, wisdom, and steadfastness to reach the other side of our trials. As we experience God’s nearness in that time, we must tell others of our testimony, so they too may hope in this God who comforts the brokenhearted. We must hope in God, we must rest in the knowledge that we will see something good come from the suffering we ourselves are experiencing.

It may take months or years, but if we allow the Holy Spirit to give us perspective, we will eventually see things differently. God will give us opportunities to work through our pain and to share our hope with others. God will show us how to heal and give us balm for our wounds. God will quiet your soul and fight for you when you are too weak to fight for yourself. God will give you grace to reach the other side of your situation. But these things are all conditional. We must hold up our end of the bargain. We must hope. “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” (Psalm 43:5 ESV)

No one wants to bear the burden of trial, but everyone loves to hear the testimony on the other side. Realize that before every inspirational story, there was pain. There is glory on the other side of suffering. We are encouraged by the testimonies of those who endured. We clap when they tell of their triumph, and well we should. But what we must not do is forget what they experienced.

I do not offer you a shoulder to cry on. I do not offer you mere sympathy or empty cliches. I speak to you the word of truth, and it’s a hard word to swallow because it requires something of you. But you can reach the other side. There is hope for you.

Jesus will be the only one to carry scars in heaven and He wears them proudly, so do not be ashamed of your scars in this life. They are the marks of your survival. In the end, you will choose what they mean. You may call yourself a survivor or you may call yourself an overcomer. For verily, verily, I say unto you that all conquerors carry scars.

Gittel Fruma came to believe in Jesus after growing up as an Orthodox Jew. Gittel lives with her husband and son in Clearwater, Florida. She is currently working on a book about her testimony and recording her first album. You can find her at her website GittelFruma.com or on Facebook at @GittelFrumaMusic.