Usually when I get people to laugh it is at the despair of my pride, which happens WAY too often.
Let me share a prime example of this happening…
Lots of things change when you go to a foreign country, the scenery, the accents, the language, your sleeping conditions, etc. You don’t necessarily think of how your body may be affected when you travel to a new country.
For about a week or so I felt this pain on the underside of my butt. I simply brushed it off and thought maybe I just got some bug bites…lots of them. Well it proceeded to stay consistent and it never became itchy so I became curious as to what kind of natural butt tattoo was going on here. Only problem was there was ONE mirror. It was hung on the outside of a building that was completely open for everyone on the ministry grounds to see. Oh, and it only hung about 5 feet in the air and it was just big enough to count the sweat beads on your face. What a comedy show that could have been.
I finally worked up the courage to ask one of my teammates if she would take a look at this new tattoo I had taken on. Talk about humbling experiences. Not only did I have to show my butt to a gal I have only known for about two weeks, I had to lay face down on a 2 inch thick mat and then let her check out the very pronounced butt rash that I had going on. I was so ashamed.
Well she slapped on this Miracle 2 gel that her and her family swear by and told me I should be good. REJOICE!
Weeks went by. Weeks! By golly, it’s developing into a tattoo at this point. Surely, it was getting worse. I could feel it spreading up towards my back. Again, I had my teammate check out this growing butt rash. “Oh no!” she shouted, “Kelley, this is bad!”
“Do you have your phone? I have to show you this!”
Laughing, I grab my phone and she took a picture. Sure enough, it was bad. Astonished, I put the phone down and a million things ran through my head, none of them being practical.
Later, a few of us decided we wanted to go into town to grab an affogato. As if having a butt rash isn’t embarrassing enough, here is where it gets more interesting. A classic Kelley moment happens. The kind of moment that happens and I seriously question if even Jesus would want to be my friend.
As my teammates and I are chatting, a young El Salvadoran man comes up and asks if he could join us to practice his English. We all chat and have really good conversation. To explain a story better, I pulled out my phone to show him a photo. Really excited, I unlock my phone and clicked on my photos app and BAM!
There it was. A full on, vivid photo of my butt! I don’t think I have ever reacted quicker in my life. I couldn’t press that home button enough times. At this point I had no words for the guy. I simply locked my phone and tried my hardest to forget what exactly just happened. Shame, like a dirty, smothering blanket wrapped me.
Real and raw I had exposed myself! And not in any way I would want to. This is exactly how Jesus sees us. Jesus sees us as we are. Real and raw. Butt rash and all! There is no running, no place we can hide that Jesus won’t be there to take our hand and comfort us.
He takes that blanket of shame and
wraps me up with comfort, love, and humor.
Jesus looks beyond any failures and imperfections and sees us as a masterpiece created by God. The race thus far has shown me how much beauty there is in the real and raw moments. There is no place for shame in this life. Jesus still loves me.
The other part of the real and raw is how loved I still felt after this discovery. I mean in all honesty, it is gross. I should have been voted off the island. Instead, my teammate basically volunteered herself to care for me and loved me through the whole process. They helped me find the humor in the situation and reassured me that I am not an unclean person. My team still loves me…I hope.
Although having a butt rash is quite embarrassing, it has brought so much entertainment to my team, showed me how the Lord sees me, and it’s still not finished yet.
Remember: do not look at what’s behind you but
keep your focus on what is in front of you!
Kel xx
