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How Our Scars Bear the Beauty of Christ’s Healing Power

He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

Psalms 147:3

The immutable marks of our story carry a purpose

The other day a dear writer I’ve come to admire shared a brief Twitter post suffixed with the hashtag of #AndThatsHowIGotThisScar. She recounts through a series of essays how she got her scar one Sunday in the City. It’s haunting and harrowing. But it is a beautiful description of transformation.

I’ve learned that our harrowing ordeals have a purpose and the pain Jesus endured on the cross of Calvary is no exception. Charles H. Spurgeon pondered the reference to Luke 24 verse 20:

What was to be seen on Christ’s hands and feet? We are taught that the prints of the nails were visible and that on his side there was still the gash of the spear. I wish to draw your attention to the ample fact, that our Lord Jesus Christ, when he rose again from the dead had in his body the marks of his passion. If he had pleased he could readily have removed them. He rose again from the dead, and he might have erased from his body everything which could be an indication of what he had suffered and endured before he descended into the tomb. But, no! Instead, thereof, there were the pierced hands and feet, and there was the open side.

Like our Saviour, we too carry evidence of our wounds. The invisible scars in our hearts and soul, the scars no one sees, are marks of beauty. They are the hurts that draw us nearer to our mortality, that compel us to not look away from the condition of our souls. These wounds are the immutable marks that tell our story, a story perhaps we’re afraid to tell, a story perhaps we don’t want to remember.

A wounded heart can be transformed into a work of beauty and undeniable love by the hand of the Father. The wounds of my past—fatherlessness and childhood trauma—are permanent markers which the loving hand of the Father healed with His grace. As Linda Barrick wrote in her devotional, Beauty Marks: “Scars are reminders of the wounds we’ve endured. They trigger memories of the traumatic experiences we’d rather forget. We think scars are ugly. That’s why we’re driven to alter them, minimize them, or hide them.”

What an honor to be marked alongside our Saviour for eternity with the roadmap of love! In His eyes, are wounds are not happenstance. In His eyes, our wounds carry purpose.

My wounds are repurposed every year that passes. They testify to God’s redemptive power and His unfailing remembrance of our guilt and need for forgiveness. In this world of sin, we will be hit with sin committed against us, for no other reason than because we are. We are who we are because we need Him to redeem us from our brokenness, so He could look at our beautiful scars and gladly say, My beloved child, you are healed.


 

When I find myself limited in my ability to communicate, when I'm making a concerted effort to write in Spanish, for instance, I count it a privilege. To articulate meaning in writing with those we love, with those who paid a high price to abandon a land where familiarity is removed, it is a privilege. Click to read full post.

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Blog Comments

It is really quite miraculous to be able to look back from the other side of a shattered heart and see how God lovingly sealed the injury in such a way that good could come from it. This is beautifully written Erendira, and has touched me this evening! Thank you for sharing your wise words, Cindy Wilkins

I’m so glad, Cindy, to be an encouragement to your with my words today. Thank you for your response!

My experiences cause me to agree. The loss of my son left a deep wound that God has healed. I learned so much about God when I walked through that time period and have a deeper prayer life.

Wow, Carol, I am thrilled that God has guided you through your grief. His nurturing is by far what we need when our heart is broken. Thank you for sharing your testimony of Christ.

Grateful for His healing power

As am I!

Our scars can be beautiful if we allow ourselves to expose them. So many people hide them away for fear of judgment. Thank you for this inspiring post. I am so glad you shared it with us on Grace & Truth Christian Link-Up.

Thank you, Maree Dee, for your words. Our scars are what keeps us from turning prideful, I think, because they humble us into submission to our Lord who heals and comforts.

Very true, Erendira. Sometimes my scars bring sadness, shame, guilt…but they’re really just reminders of how God heals and brings good even from our lowest places.

I’m enjoying finding your blog at Grace and Truth!

Thank you, Ashley, for finding me here. I am glad you understand God’s goodness even during our deepest hurts.

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