Had an interesting experience recently. I had just anchored the boat up to a reef with two other guys. The weather was threatening to say the least. When I picked up a rod to hand it to one of the fellows I heard the rod humming. Lots of electricity in the air! We quickly laid all the rods in the bottom of the boat and tried to get real small ourselves. When you’re on the bay you are the tallest thing out there. Lightening tends to look for tall things so you do the math.

The event got me to thinking about being the target. It’s not an uncommon theme in my life and I would image your life is much the same. After hosting a youth rally in Arlington Texas that drew over 5000 the guys who had put it all together found ourselves written up in several brotherhood periodicals and the target of several attacks. We enjoyed it so much the next year when we held the youth rally again we designed bright red shirts with a target on the back for all the committee members to wear. Made it easy for folks to know who was in charge.

That’s just one story in a life of finding myself the target. I’ve come to grips with the idea that if your going to do anything your going to get some unwanted attention. You really can’t choose how folks react to you but you can choose how you react to this unwanted attention. Some times I do well and sometimes I don’t but the best way I’ve found to deal with being a target is try and find some good in it. This is not always easy and many times not possible at the time of suffering but in the long haul it can work

Thomas wanted to see Jesus scars not a perfect body. It was the scars the made Jesus credible in Thomas’s view. I think we are all made more believable, more credible by our scars.