Salvador's Testimony
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series II Cycle B
Salvador has a scar on his cheek that runs alongside his eye, from chin to forehead. When he was three, his brother was carrying him, and he tripped against the fence of the horse corral. They were on their way to feed the horses and were eager to finish. Salvador fell into the pen and a horse stepped on him, spooked by Salvador's sudden movement.
Although Salvador suffered great pain, he had miraculously escaped eye injury and brain damage from the huge animal's step. He healed well, though the scar was not stitched well. It was a ragged line, pinched in places. The scar was obvious even from a distance.
In his younger years, he was very self-conscious about the scar on his face. He tried makeup to hide it once, but he didn't think it looked natural. He tried to be quiet and reserved, but that wasn't how God made him. Salvador loved people; he was outgoing and he loved to talk.
When Salvador became a successful public speaker, he always brought up the accident and his scar. "You can't hide something like that," he would say. "That would be like trying to hide a third leg." Salvador chose instead to be open about it. He used his scar to point to God. He used it as a testimony.
But he didn't always have that confidence. When Salvador was in his early elementary days, the children had called him "monster" and "scarface." It had been very painful to see friends turn on him and join in with others to make fun of him. Salvador had wanted to run away at times, but in a small town, it was not possible. He had been forced to face the children. He had to make peace about what had happened to him.
He had found strength in that knowledge. Salvador was able to accept his face and his appearance. And he used it to point to God's miracles and overcoming negativity. Salvador triumphed from his fate in that he understood prejudice and discrimination. He had knowledge that he couldn't hide.
Although Salvador suffered great pain, he had miraculously escaped eye injury and brain damage from the huge animal's step. He healed well, though the scar was not stitched well. It was a ragged line, pinched in places. The scar was obvious even from a distance.
In his younger years, he was very self-conscious about the scar on his face. He tried makeup to hide it once, but he didn't think it looked natural. He tried to be quiet and reserved, but that wasn't how God made him. Salvador loved people; he was outgoing and he loved to talk.
When Salvador became a successful public speaker, he always brought up the accident and his scar. "You can't hide something like that," he would say. "That would be like trying to hide a third leg." Salvador chose instead to be open about it. He used his scar to point to God. He used it as a testimony.
But he didn't always have that confidence. When Salvador was in his early elementary days, the children had called him "monster" and "scarface." It had been very painful to see friends turn on him and join in with others to make fun of him. Salvador had wanted to run away at times, but in a small town, it was not possible. He had been forced to face the children. He had to make peace about what had happened to him.
He had found strength in that knowledge. Salvador was able to accept his face and his appearance. And he used it to point to God's miracles and overcoming negativity. Salvador triumphed from his fate in that he understood prejudice and discrimination. He had knowledge that he couldn't hide.
