"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3
I recently watched an IMAX film about Great White
Sharks. Seeing such mighty predators
glide gracefully through the water was mesmerizing. What I quickly noticed was that each shark was
covered in scars from tooth to tail...and yet they were absolutely stunning in
their beauty.
The narrator mentioned how these markings, which varied from
individual to individual, told what all the shark had experienced and
survived. I began thinking about my own
scars and the stories they had to tell.
The 3" gash on the back of my left calf tells of a run-in with a
bull at 8 years old, the road rash mark on the inside of my right wrist tells
of a daring downhill adventure on a skateboard at 13 (this was back in the day
when Christian Slater was "Gleaming the Cube" and hanging on my
wall). Yes, there are times that I'm all
dressed up for a special night out with my hubby when I glance the
tell-tell signs of a tomboy past and wish I had taken better care of
myself. But most of the time, the scars
make me laugh. Each one comes with a
memory and a lesson learned along the way.
They are proof that I have experienced life and survived.
If only it were as easy to see my emotional scars with that
same grace. Sometimes, when God heals us
from painful circumstances, a scar remains.
I have often prayed for God to remove all evidence of past hurts and
mistakes but I'm starting to understand that even scars have their
purpose. Just like my skateboarding scar
has served as a reminder to weigh the probability of survival before launching
down a hill, there's a scar on my heart reminding me to let God provide the
friendships He desires to bless me with rather than launching into
relationships He never intended. The
freckles and sunspots from hours in the great outdoors remind me to cover
myself in sunscreen while the spots on my heart remind me to cover myself in
the protection that comes with obedience to God's Word.
Let's try together to start viewing our emotional scars as
beautiful testimonies of what we have experienced and survived instead of
shameful reminders of mistakes gone by.
Each one a tale to tell and hope of healing to others we meet along the
way.
P.S. - I can't wait to see Jesus' beautiful nail scarred hands.
Now there's scars that tell an amazing story
worth sharing!
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