Every Scar Has a Story!

John 20:24-26

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."


If you look very closely right next to my left eye on my nose, you will see a tiny little scar. Like every scar, it has a story. I'm not sure how old I was at the time but I know not more than 4 or 5. I remember what happened as if it were yesterday. Being a dog lover, I guess, from birth, I remember mistakenly trying to pet a little dog that lived at a house where we were visiting. Since I have "flashbacks" when I see a Boston Terrier, I assume that was the breed of this, not so happy with life, dog. When I reached to rub his cute little head, his cute little teeth planted themselves on my nose right between my eyes. It seems like he hung there for hours until someone noticed my fate! I guess if I would have been smart, that incident could have ended my relationships with dogs altogether but it has never effected my love for dogs, even though the scar stands as a reminder of that fateful day!

Scars always have a story, if you don't believe it sit in a group of "us" seniors, when we start to share our surgery stories. I have seen more scars in those settings than I ever wanted to see. Anywhere from gallbladder scars to hip surgery scars every shape length and width. Lest I not pick on just seniors, I also heard and told many scar stories at my daughter's baby shower, it seems baby showers are the perfect place to share old "battle scars" and child birth stories.

Some scars cannot be seen as well because they lie deep within our hearts, hidden sometimes for years. They all tell a story, but because of shame, guilt or the shear fear of feeling vulnerable we hide them away so no one can see them. The scars of betrayal, abandonment, or even our own sin lie in the darkness of our hurt.

Dear One, to bring them out and give them to our Healer, would not only benefit us but could help our fellow sufferers. So just as the disciples recognized the resurrected Jesus by His scarred hands and feet, others will recognize the Healer by our scars.

I recently read an excerpt from Sharon Jaynes book and loved what it said about scars:
In "Your Scars are Beautiful to God"' Sharon takes us on a journey to discovering peace and purpose in the pain of our past by rejecting the lie of disqualification, resisting the fear of rejection, and releasing the power of our own personal stories. Learn to see your scars through God's eyes - your scars are beautiful to God.

In other words don't waste a good "scar story" use them to help others to heal! They are diamonds in the rough in God's economy, invest them in the kingdom!