Scars

When I was only four years old I had my appendix removed. I really don’t remember a lot about the surgery. I don’t remember the needle stick for the IV or my grandpa getting kicked out of the hospital trying to protect me. I don’t remember the incision or the recovery room. But I have a scar that tells the story.

What scars do you have? What stories do they tell? How do you let those stories shape you? Some of us take those scars and we hide them. We cover them with make up and creams and try to get rid of them. We get surgeries to remove scars. But why? Why do we hide them? Why are we so ashamed of our scars?

All too often scars are thought as signs of weakness. But what if we started to see our scars as ways that God is shaping us into the people he wants us to be? When I think of scars I think of muscles breaking down and rebuilding. In order to get stronger, we need to overload the muscles and tear them down a bit. We need to put them under pressure and they eventually break. Well, not really break but you get the point. Scars are like this in our lives. They show our brokenness and demonstrate how God is making us whole again.

What spiritual and relational scars do you have? How is God strengthening you by allowing some things to break you down? This week’s MusicMonday is a song about these very scars. Look at the words to the chorus.

So I’m thankful for the scars
‘Cause without them I wouldn’t know Your heart
And I know they’ll always tell of who You are
So forever I am thankful for the scars

Without the pain we wouldn’t know the healing. Without the struggle we’d never understand the glory. Without the darkness, we’d never appreciate the light. Listen to this week’s song. Let it sink in and speak to your heart. Then look for the scars and appreciate His story that is forming in you. But there’s one more set of scars for which we need to give thanks and they’re not ours.

Think about Jesus and the scars he must have on his body. Think about the whip marks on his back and the wholes in his hands and feet and side. These are scars that demonstrate his love for you and me. These scars will give our scars new meaning. Let His scars shape the healing in your life