Beautiful Battle Scars
But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. John 20:24-28 (KJV)
Battle scars; we all have them. They show what we’ve been through, what we’ve endured, and the battles we faced. Some scars can be seen, like a soldier who has been wounded in action and has visible scars. Often the deeper the wound, the more visible the scar. We don’t have to be ashamed of such scars; they reveal who we are: brave, courageous, faithful, and true. They can show the things we stand for, such as justice and truth.
Other scars cannot be seen by anyone other than God. He knows our hidden wounds and how to bind up and heal them. Some scars may remain to remind us of of what God has brought us through and how He helped and will continue to help us. A scar can remind us that no matter what we go through, we will make it through with the Lord’s help. I’m not talking about scars that hold us back and remind us of hurts and wounds, but scars that we can wear like medals of honor to show how we’ve stood against the enemy and trusted God.
Jesus endured mistreatment more than any other man. He was whipped and nailed to a cross. A crown of thorns was planted firmly on His head. He was mocked, beaten with a rod, slapped, punched, and spit upon. His beard was even plucked out. Once Jesus rose from the dead, He gladly displayed the scars for Thomas to see. He was not ashamed of His scars because they revealed Jesus’ identity and the tough stuff He was made of. The scars He bore, and still bears, are a permanent and visible reminder of how Jesus overcame every hurt, betrayal, and death, hell, the grave, and every enemy because He loves us so much.
I am not talking about ugly, debilitating scars and lasting disabilities. God can heal our hurts and wounds so we are as good as new, but there may be some scars to remind us of what He has done for us. Those reminders of what we’ve been through. We must not be ashamed of our scars. They show that we’ve been wounded, but that we stood and fought with Jesus at our side. Jesus used His scars to convince people who He is, and God will use our scars to show people who Jesus is and what He’s done for us. The wounds that once hurt us have been healed and the resulting scars can bring others to the Lord.
Just because we have scars does not mean we aren’t whole. It means we were once wounded but Jesus came to us and restored us. Scars are the evidence that Jesus can make hurting people whole. Jesus, Who is healed from His wounds, can make anyone whole- the scars are the proof.
