Just over a year ago I decided as I frequently do, that I would take one of my guitars home from our church and try to get a little extra practice in that week. A day or so later, I discovered when I opened the case to play my beautiful Martin acoustic, IT WAS CRACKED. Yes indeed, on the back of my prized Martin were not one but two significant cracks. That was nearly enough to bring me to tears. The lack of humidity had proven too much for the guitar to handle, even though it had been in its case the entire time (a lesson in and of itself). So, I took it into a repair shop and that was going to be that I thought. In the mean time I used this experience to teach my Sunday School class of 9-12-year-old boys the danger of becoming too comfortable relying on just going to church and being in the right place while the whole time we are not getting the water that we need spiritually. I also explained to them that these cracks that form are not something that we can fix on our own and that just as my guitar needed a luthier to repair it, there is only one Jesus Christ that can help us heal those “cracks” we’ve allowed into our lives. I promised the boys I would bring the guitar in when it had been repaired stating that it would look brand new, just as their lives could. Time went on and I heard nothing back from the repair shop. Finally, I called to find out what was being done with my prized Martin. The luthier stated that he had trouble getting the guitar to bond properly, and in fact at one point thought it was fixed and the crack re-opened. He then told me he thought he had got the repair to stick this time and it should be ready in a couple of days, but there were still some cosmetic flaws that may not be completely removed. I went in a few days later to pick up my guitar, and immediately noticed you could still see where the cracks had been and the finish on the back was no longer perfect. However, I hadn’t spent a huge amount on the repair, it wasn’t going to open up again if taken care of, and at least I was able to play this amazing guitar again. Soon enough though, it came time for me to give another lesson to my Sunday School class. How on earth was I going to show these boys this clearly scarred and imperfect guitar and try to use it as an example for the work God wanted to do in their lives? That’s where God stepped in. As I was struggling with what my lesson would be that Sunday, I felt God speak to me and tell me to take my guitar with me to show them what had been done (after all I should be held accountable to the promise I had made). “But how can I show them this? It’s imperfect, it’s scarred, it’s not like it used to be.” That’s when God really brought it home. “You’re not perfect either. Nor are the young men in that class. You all have scars. Things that even when you’ve prayed about still have left that mark on your life that may never go away. Things that may not even be their fault. Divorce, abuse, self-consciousness, past sins etc. That doesn’t mean I don’t still desire to use you. I have repaired those “cracks” the moment you asked for forgiveness, but sometimes there are still remaining consequences for your actions. Look at where those scars are. Has anyone ever asked you about the scars while you were playing the guitar? Would anyone ask if you didn’t point them out? No, if the guitar is being used for its intended purpose and being played well, the scars go unnoticed and it becomes the beauty of the sound produced that is noticed by those that look on.” This is true in every one of our lives, if we chose to let God repair those things and then allow him to use us again in the way that he so desires. Sure, there may be scars, and maybe even necessary precautions to prevent repeating these “cracks”. I now always make sure to keep a humidifier and a humidity tracker in my case to prevent this from happening again. However, this guitar is definitely one of my favorites! Hearing the classic tone that only a Martin guitar can give, realizing how blessed I am to even possess such an instrument, and even looking at the beauty of it are all reasons why I love to pick up this guitar on a Sunday morning and play the best that I possibly can songs like “Amazing Grace”. Remembering that God has such love for me to look beyond all my past scars and still has a deep desire to use me in a greater way than I could imagine.