I have been fighting a mystery rash on my hands and arms and legs over the last month or so and, after multiple visits to the dermatologist, we still don’t have any answers. So recently, they took a biopsy to see if that would help nail down the culprit behind it. According to the dermatologist, most of the time one of the treatments just starts working and we never get the full answer. So, no worries here. No sounding of the medical alarm.
But it did cause me to think that this biopsy would add another scar to my body. For some strange reason (maybe so I’d have THIS blog topic), I started cataloging the signs of trauma to my body over my lifetime. Who says we widows don’t lead exciting lives?
There’s the big toenail that will never be sandal worthy – the one that I dropped a cement birdbath on about 15 years ago.
Way back when, as my mom was cutting a bandage off my hand, she didn’t realize the ENTIRE bandage was sticky and she ended up cutting my hand instead. She was horrified by it – so much more than I was! But I’m reminded of her whenever I look at that tiny scar
Also on my hand is the scar from the time I jammed my hand into a broken glass as I was washing it, completely unaware that it had broken. That caused me to walk up and down my neighborhood with my bleeding hand in the air, looking for someone who could drive me to the doctor. This was before I had Dale to be my ambulance driver.
There’s the barely visible trio of scars near my shoulder from bone spur surgery I had about 12 years ago.
Most recently, I have another scar on my hand from when I hung onto the dog toy my girls were fighting over and Daisy nailed me as she went to get a better grip. Lesson learned…
It’s clear that the longer we live, the more of these reminders we will have of the physical traumas to our bodies. Some are pretty minor like the recent biopsy. Some were more major in scope, like shoulder surgery, but yet barely visible. Others are quite ugly and we do our best to keep them concealed.
The longer we live, the more scars we have.
It caused me to think about the emotional scars we collect through the years as well. Regardless of your age, I’m sure you have dealt with difficulties in your life that left you with some kind of emotional scars. As with the physical ones, these are not always obvious to the casual observer, even if there was major trauma behind them. And many times we do our best to conceals these, too.
You may have dealt with some kind of abuse through the years. Perhaps you too have struggled with the loss of loved ones. Or the loss of ANYTHING. Maybe a betrayal has left your heart scarred. Or maybe just dreams unrealized. The potential for emotional trauma is limitless.
The longer we live, the more scars we have.
And yet, there’s a hopeful message for us regarding BOTH kinds of scars – the physical and the emotional.
As I looked at the accumulation of these “trauma reminders” on my own body, I rejoiced in the fact that I would have a restored body one day in heaven. This might be a theological leap, but I think the only scars that will matter in heaven are the ones Jesus bore on his body. They will remain as a reminder of all that he sacrificed on the cross so we could enjoy Paradise with him one day.
So too will all our emotional scars be healed. No painful memories of hurts or betrayals or abuse or bitterness or anger or fear. All our hurts will be assuaged, and our hearts will be restored to the perfection God originally intended for his people.
Can you imagine that? Not only does it give me great hope, but it helps me maintain that eternal perspective that is so important as we live this scar-filled life. All of creation will be restored one day. What a glorious day that will be!
And after you have suffered a little while,
the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ,
will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
1 Peter 5:10
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