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Scars

Have you looked at yours lately? That one on your knee from second grade when you fell off the bars on the playground. Perhaps you have one on your arm from that cat you had as a child. Maybe you were in a car accident as an adult and you still see the scar from the surgery.

Whatever scars come immediately to mind, take a moment to reflect on how you got it. I’m thinking of the one on my wrist right now. I was chasing another college girl and she slammed the door so I couldn’t catch her and my arm went through the glass of the door. I had nerve damage and other issues. That scar tells a story. It tells a story of how I had to give up my musical endeavors for a time until the nerves grew back enough to be able to use my fingers on the piano and the flute again. It took over a year! And I have hated practical jokes ever since!

Now let’s shift gears a moment and consider the scars only we know about. The scars from broken relationships or loss. One would be our widowhood. It could be considered a scar. There was a very deep wound from the severing of two people who became one at the marriage altar. As that wound of loss and grief has begun to heal, others don’t see the loss as much anymore. They aren’t helping you with everyday chores. Their lives have kept going but ours is still in the scarring stage.

I looked up some information on scars from a medical institution and this is what I found.

Scars usually fade over time. Makeup can help cover the scar while it is healing. Some scars can be minimized by certain dermatological techniques. However, treatment can only improve the appearance of a scar; it cannot completely erase it.

Scars cannot be erased. Your loss cannot be erased. It makes you who you are today. So how do we “improve the appearance” or “minimize” the scars we have? There are no chemical peels for the heart or microdermabrasion for the grief. I see one possibility as allowing our scars to point to Christ.

The late Adrian Rogers had many great statements. You may have seen his wife Joyce speak on the GriefShare videos. One quote of Adrian’s I read was this:

Indeed, your scars may be your greatest ministry. Just as the scars of Jesus convinced Thomas, perhaps your scars will convince someone today.

At some point in your healing process, you will begin to see a glimmer of hope as you share your story of God’s faithfulness with others who might just be starting a journey of healing. You share it again with someone over coffee. Then you share it again with a small group. Each time you share stories of God’s faithfulness, you encourage someone else to trust when circumstances seem hopeless. Every time you point others to the healing power of God, you give them hope.

And when we get to heaven, all of our earthly scars will disappear. Our new glorious bodies will be perfect! And the only one with scars in heaven will be Jesus. Even after He received His glorified body, His scars were still very visible in some way. Thomas, the disciple, saw them immediately. He looked at Jesus’ scars and believed in Who He was/is. Thomas had told his disciple friends that He wouldn’t believe until he touched the scarred hands or the wounded side of Jesus. Jesus told Thomas to touch the scars but the verse never tells us he actually did touch the scars. He saw the scars. John 20

As we share God’s faithfulness woven through our stories, we can point others to God. At the right time, you may be prompted by the Holy Spirit to share your story with someone who needs to hear it. Your scars can become your greatest ministry.

Here are two beautiful songs about scars that will encourage you today.

Mandisa

Casting Crowns

Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
John 20:28 (ESV)

May others see our scars and believe in God our Father and His faithfulness!