Ugly Folds

When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. (Psalm 34:17-19 ESV).

Have you ever accidentally closed your Bible and creased a page? I’m not talking about a dog-eared corner, but an ugly fold down the middle of the page. No matter how hard you try to get the creased pressed out, it always seems to jump off the page as a reminder of your carelessness in closing the book. Most folks probably wouldn’t be bothered by it nearly as much as I, but for a type A personality like me; it is something I really don’t like!

As I began to think about those ugly folds, I also thought of others in my life. Sins, either those I have committed or those committed against me, can leave ugly folds in my spirit. Like the woman who is married and has grown children of her own, but every time she looks in the mirror she sees something no one else ever sees. She sees the scar. It’s the scar she keeps covered with make-up. Each time she see the scar she relives the pain of her father’s drunken rage when she was just a little girl. Or it is like the man in his fifties, and who by most accounts would be considered a success. He has a good job. He is respected by many in the community. However, in his mind it is never good enough. He can never work enough hours. His check is never fat enough. He cannot climb the ladder fast enough. Not matter how hard he tries, he cannot erase the words spoken so long ago: “You will never amount to anything!” Or it is like the couple who has been married for thirty years. Others see them as the ideal couple. They do have a good marriage. They have worked hard to forgive and forget. Still there are times when that one event enters the conversation and tempers flair, hurtful words are spoken, and a little of the joy seeps out of their relationship. Or perhaps it is like the doctor, who tries to comfort the family as he explains, “We did everything possible for your son.” Those words do little to ease the suffering of this mom and dad, as they must come to terms with the results of her one foolish attempt to be part of the crowd.

The ugly fold in the page in my Bible will probably never be the same. It will always remind me of my carelessness. Of course, I can live with the wrinkled page. These deeper wrinkles, these scars of our hearts that are there because of sins we have committed or because of sins committed against us or because of the thoughtless acts of those we love are more difficult to live with. For these wrinkles on our heart, we need more. We need the reminder of God’s concern for our pain, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.” We need a refresher on being renewed in our walk with God in ways that take care of the stain of our sin and purify us through and through. We need the assurance of knowing that we have a very forgiving God and a Savior who paid for our sins. I really do not have a solution for those pages in your Bible that have accidentally gotten folded and wrinkled. But I do have a solution for the heart that is broken and scarred. Let Jesus heal those scars and forgive your sins. Give Him your broken heart. Allow Him to heal your hurts.