I have a scar on my hand which is a reminder of a very middle-class accident. Whilst washing up a coffee pot a little too vigorously, I broke the glass and it pierced the skin at the base of my thumb. I felt absolutely no pain, but almost passed out when I saw the blood. It needed to be checked out medically, but I was soon sent home with steri-strips to hold it together and aid the natural healing process – no stitches required. I was medically advised not to wash up for two weeks – I didn’t need telling twice!
The wound healed well, was quite neat and actually barely noticeable. But shortly after the steri-strips were removed, whilst reaching down the back of the sofa, I carelessly reopened the wound again. More steri-strips were applied, and I had to endure another two weeks without washing up. The wound is now fully healed, though the scar is much less neat than previously. It’s not ugly, but it is definitely more messy.
Physical scars are often ugly, especially if they’re from injuries rather than surgery. And they usually have a stigma attached to them, because they’re a sign of imperfection. But I was reminded today that Jesus used the scars of his crucifixion as a testimony, to bear witness to who He was and what He’d been through, first with a group of His disciples, and then with ‘doubting’ Thomas who was late to the party [see John 20]
So they’re not all bad, but there are a number of downsides. With physical scars there is often a loss of feeling in the scar tissue, and sometimes a tightness in the area which can remind you of the presence of the scar. Some scars remain very obvious; either to others we meet, or, even if we can cover them up with our clothes, sometimes they remain very obvious to us.
The human body has a remarkable ability to self-heal. Physical scars can be ugly, but they are a sign that healing has taken place. The human body has a remarkable ability to self-heal. A scar is a mark of restoration. They are a reminder of a wound, but are rarely a limitation. Scars are a sign of healing.
This morning at Rayleigh Baptist Church, as part of our morning gathering on the topic of Emotional Wellbeing, we heard a powerful testimony from someone who has struggled with their emotional health over many years. So much of what he said was helpful in different ways to different people. But as he spoke I was really struck by the impact of what we might describe as emotional scars. How similar they can be to physical scars.
Even when some healing has taken place, they can be very easy to re-open, they can result in a loss of some feeling, they can be quite ugly, and they can be very obvious to ourselves and others; you can still feel them, but they too are a sign of restoration from brokenness.
Whether physical or emotional, we should not let our scars limit us. We should look them with a different attitude and perspective – they’re not ugly, they’re not badges of honour, scars are signs of healing, restoration and grace.