Scarred

“He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.”

1 Peter 2:24 ESV

Back in the olden days, my momma and most other mothers ironed – a lot. Virtually all cloth goods were made of 100% cotton. After washing, clothes and linens came off the clothesline very wrinkled.

The little girl that I was, thought ironing looked like loads of fun – I now know better. So of course, I begged Momma to let me iron. My pleading finally wore her down and she agreed to let me try my hand at ironing Daddy’s hankies.

After a how-to demonstration and a multitude of safety tips, Momma lowered the ironing board, stacked a small pile of clean, wrinkly hankies, and placed the hot iron on the board.

And I began to iron.

Soon I was allowed to iron all the hankies and, sometimes, even pillowcases. I became overconfident and inattentive. Exactly how I managed to burn myself, I don’t remember. But to this day I carry a faded scar the size of a quarter on the inside of my right forearm resulting from my careless encounter with the iron.

I painfully learned that touching a hot iron had serious consequences. That was a lesson I have never forgotten.

We all carry scars of some sort. Some are self-inflicted because of foolish decisions, careless actions, or willful misdeeds. Others are earned through heroic acts of valor or are thrust upon us by seemingly random chance, unfortunate encounters, or accidents.

Still, other scars are the result of cruel attacks and evil intentions by those who should have our best interests at heart.

Scars come in all shapes and sizes. Some scars are physical – visible to all you meet. Others are mental or emotional scars that nobody sees but are so real their rough edges seem to be pushing through your skin.

Here’s the thing about scars, scars are an indication that healing has taken place. The wound or hurt is past and over. Healing has happened, but an indelible mark has been left behind. That mark is a reminder of the “thing” that was, but is now behind you.

Yes, maybe it was a horrifically bad thing, but the “thing” itself is done, gone, and over. It may take time to deal with the collateral damage caused by the “thing,” but the open wound is no longer open.

The Apostle Paul knew well about scars. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-33, Paul recounts the imprisonments, countless beatings, the five times he received 39 lashes, and the three times that he was beaten with a rod – all of which had the possibility of leaving significant scarring and doing permanent damage to his body.

And then there was the time that Paul was stoned. He mentioned it in the 1 Corinthians passage noted above, but the complete story is told in Acts 14:8-23.

During a visit to Lystra, Paul miraculously healed a crippled man to the astonishment of the crowd that had gathered to listen. The healing caught the attention of the priest of Zeus, who decided Paul and his missionary partner, Barnabas had been sent from the pagan gods. When Paul and Barnabas refused to be worshipped as gods, Jewish troublemakers from another city stirred up the crowd to stone Paul.

Instead of being worshipped as a pagan god, Paul was stoned and his lifeless body was dragged outside of the city.

As believers gathered around the body of Paul to mourn his death, Paul miraculously stood up, bruised, and battered, but alive. Without question, Paul carried the scars of the stoning with him for the remainder of his life.

Perhaps the stoning scars reminded Paul of another stoning that he had witnessed years before when he was still called Saul. As Saul, he had watched, approved, and held the coats of those who threw the stones that killed the first Christian martyr of the Church, Stephen. (Acts 7:54-60)

Paul knew those days were in his past, covered by the blood of his Savior Jesus Christ, completely forgiven. But the scar of that event remained in his memory, just as the scars on his body gave witness to his faithful service and persecution for the cause of Jesus Christ (Galatians 6:17b).

My dear friend, we are all scarred. Whether we carry visible scars or scars of the mind, heart, or soul we are all marred creatures. Sin has left its mark on us all.

But those scars don’t have to be cause for shame, bitterness, recrimination, or disappointment. In Jesus, we are set free from the bloody wounds that gave birth to the scars of our past (Isaiah 1:18).

Our scars are the remains of previous pains, hurts, and wounds that have been healed. Our scars are reminders of the healing that has taken place, warnings of sins to flee, and caution signs of paths to avoid. As with Paul, our scars may bear witness to our willingness to serve our Father selflessly and sacrificially.

Finally, we can’t talk about scars without talking about the wounds our Savior suffered on our behalf on Calvary. The punishment that I deserved, that we deserved, Jesus willingly took upon Himself to become the pure and spotless sacrifice Who alone could pay the sin debt for every man, woman, boy, and girl that has ever or will ever come to Him for salvation. The scars of our Savior not only remind us of what He has done for us, but they also give us cause for eternal praise.

Dearest LORD Jesus,

When I think of the scars You carry because of me, my heart is overwhelmed. To know that the Son of Almighty God, the King of Creation, came to Earth to pay my sin debt on the cross of Calvary is beyond my comprehension.

You wore the crown of thorns that was cruelly forced upon your brow. You allowed the spikes to be driven into Your hands and your feet. As You hung in death, the soldier’s spear pierced your side.

You were wounded for me and for the Redeemed of all time. Your scars are eternal reminders of the amazing love and sacrifice You made on Calvary.

Your scars are and shall ever be cause for my praise and worship.

Thank You, Jesus.

Amen and Amen.