Scraps, Slips, and Sprays: What is your scar story?

 In stories

Do you have a scar story? My husband loves to tell people about how he got the y-shaped scar on his left big toe. He was a young teen, pressure-washing the driveway of his childhood home, when a bit of dirt got onto his toe. Without thinking, he turned the pressure washer onto his toe in an effort to remove the pesky dirt.

Big mistake.

Needless to say, he will forever bare the mark of that ill-fated decision.

Some of us wear our scars on the outside, raised marks of things that were somehow impacting enough to leave a permanent impression on our person. For others, however, scars are not visible, and yet, still just as prominent. Maybe you have an internal scar story, about how you came to be so damaged by life, that you walk around trying to forget, and finding it impossible. Just because a scar isn’t visible on the outside, does not make it’s story any less impacting.

Like many things in life, though, scars are all about perspective. Remember the old adage about viewing the glass half empty or half full? The same can be applied to scars. Do you view your scars (external and internal both) as proof of your hurts and injuries, or do you view them as evidence of your healing. The scars being there should remind us that while we have been hurt, we’ve also been healed.

I have a scar that sits on my chest right above my heart. It’s from where I had a portacath placed during my chemotherapy treatments. That line brought the chemo through my body in a way as to save my veins from being harmed by the potency of all the drugs. It was in place for a year, and so when it was finally removed, it became quite thick and formed a keloid. It’s wide and imperfect and mars my skin, and yet, I love it. Scars tell stories, and this one tells a story of God’s amazing grace in bringing me through one of the darkest seasons of my life. I wear my scar with joy, knowing that it speaks of God’s glory.

Our internal scars are no less powerful. They also speak to ways that we have survived crippling or damaging times in our lives. The heartaches, the loss, the fear, the abuse, or whatever other damage this world may have inflicted upon us. Our souls may bare the scars of our afflictions, but they also speak to the ways we have overcome. Scars aren’t wounds. Scars speak to wounds that have been healed.

Take a moment today and think about your scar stories – external and internal. Maybe by telling your story, you can help someone whose wounds are not healed yet. Use your scars as a map while sharing the goodness of God in your life. Chances are that someone is now dealing with an infliction much like the one that led to one of your scar stories. Help them out. Tell your story.

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