Faith for Flourishing

Life is full of ups and downs. Seasons of great joy and seasons of deep sorrow.  No one is exempt.  There will be wounds.  But we are not without hope.

In the physical, when a wound or trauma occurs, many physiological changes begin immediately.  Healing starts.  If healing occurs without complications, the tissue or organ is restored to its original state.  More severe injuries may have complications, take longer to heal, require further interventions and potentially leave a scar and cause a loss of function.

Scars are not thought of as attractive. Most people conceal their scars. There are numerous products on the market that claim to fade or minimize scars.  People use clothing, jewelry and even tattoos to cover scars that they consider ugly or remind them of pain.  Most of us don’t want to talk about them — and that’s just in the physical.  When we think about the emotional or psychological scars, those are worse. Bury them. Deep.

But what if we changed our perspective of scars?  Not just as something we’ve survived, but of real hope.  Real healing. Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines a scar as the following: a mark remaining (as on the skin) after injured tissue has healed. A scar is a sign of healing.  If healing hadn’t occurred, there would still be an open wound that exposes the individual to risks of infection.  Infection could become systemic, a potentially life threatening condition. Scars should be a reminder of healing and wholeness, not just trauma and pain.

Reflect on the example of the Lord. When He resurrected on the third day, He returned from death, whole once again. Yet, His scars remained. This is intriguing. He, with the power to rise from death, surely possessed the power to remove these scars. However, He chose to retain them, as emblems of hope. In Luke 24, when He revealed Himself to His disciples, He said, “Behold my hands and my feet.” He demonstrated the power of His resurrection through His scars. Consider the story of Thomas, who found belief when he touched and felt Jesus’ scars. Our scars, thus, are more than mere signs of survival. They narrate a story of healing and could hold the key to someone else’s belief and hope.

Beverly Martin