Hello ,

The movie Slumdog Millionaire won eight Academy Awards in 2009 and gained popular acclaim. The story's poverty, violence, crime, and child exploitation provide a backdrop for a tender story between Jamal, a young man from the slums of Mumbai, India, and his unwavering love for Latika, a beautiful girl he met in the same slum. Jamal and Latika are tragically separated for years, and after they see each other briefly, she's taken from him again. Yet he never stops trying to find her.

Against impossible odds, in the last scene of the film Jamal and Latika finally reunite. He pulls back the long yellow scarf wrapped around her face and sees a long, captor-inflicted scar that disfigures her face. As she looks down in shame, Jamal, his eyes full of tears, holds up her face and kisses her scar. Not first her lips, but her scar. It's as if the scar itself is at last redeemed, somehow made beautiful.*

When I read the account of this scene, my heart was touched.  It's parallel can be spiritual if we will choose to see it.  In my years of ministry I've met so many people from all walks of life.  I cannot think of one single person that doesn't have scars.  Not necessarily physical, but scars nonetheless.  

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We have a God Who specializes in redeeming our scars for His honor and glory.  He can take even the vilest of pasts and see value and beauty in the person that lived through it.  Today, you will meet people who have scars.  Let's remember that fact as we interact with them.  They're important to our Creator, and that fact should make them important to us.  He came to redeem every one of us...and those that we meet are included in the amazing gift that He came to give.

Have a great day and God bless!

Pastor Mike / The Open Word