The Meaning of Scars: Signs of Deliverance

I have several scars on my body which remind me of times of great peril, great foolishness, and great deliverance. The mottled flesh on my left elbow is where I fell off my cousin’s car at 30 MPH, at age 16. The clean, straight line on the back of my left wrist is evidence of the learning curve involved in using an axe. The fading line on my throat is from an incision made during a surgery four years ago which saved me from losing strength throughout my body due to deteriorating nerves. And whenever I see swelling in my right leg, it never fails to call to mind my near death experience two years ago when blood clots from that leg broke loose and lodged in my lungs, just a jolt away from my heart or brain. All these scars, lumps, and marks are signs of deliverance, reminding me how often God has protected me from far greater injury than I might have sustained otherwise.

Where are your scars? Take a moment to look at them: remember the stories they tell. Think of how often God has delivered you. Be cognizant of the emotional scars in your heart and mind – how has God protected and saved you from other injury that could have been so much worse! Whenever you see your scars, let them be a testimony of God’s salvation in the realm eternal as well as in the mundane.

Now look at Jesus’ scars. See his side, his feet, his hands. See the wounds gaping wide open, and after the resurrection, hushed scars that call to memory our Lord’s suffering, humiliation, and desolation. And what else are Jesus’ scars but the true salvation of God, written in flesh. His scars immediately connect in our hearts God’s mercy and our deliverance. As scripture says, “…by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

During these holiest of days, pause for a moment to reflect on your scars, and on Jesus’. Consider how your scars tell the stories of God’s deliverance in your life. Consider how Jesus’ scars tell the same story. All thanks and praise to God!