Scars

My hands, arms, legs and face are covered with scars. I’ve accumulated a goodly collection of scars on my body as well. Most are tiny and unobtrusive. A few stand out. I’ve put myself through the rigors of life over the decades and it shows with the scars I’ve acquired.

For most of these scars, I have no idea of the wound that caused them. Those memories are long faded. For others, both tiny and large, I can recall exactly the injury that caused them even if it happened many, many years ago. Every one of the wounds underlying these scars has healed. Some of the wounds healed quickly while others took much longer and required special attention.

There is something else these scars all have in common. Not a single one of them hurts! The remnant of the wound is still there in the scar, but the wound itself is healed. It’s gone.

The Scars of Forgiveness

These scars are much like what happens when we forgive others for transgressions against us. When we forgive, the wound of the transgression is gone, healed. It is no longer open to infection, it no longer hurts. The healing may have come quickly or it may have taken some time. The wound is gone, the scars remain.

Unhealed Wounds

On the other hand, unhealed wounds are very different. They hurt. The leave us open to infection. An open wound even as small as a paper cut can interfere with what we do. Infections in open wounds can be transferred to others. (So can our irritability when we are wounded.)

Unforgiveness is like Open Wounds

Transgressions against us open wounds. They may not be physical wounds, but they are open wounds nonetheless. These open wounds have all sorts of undesirable consequences: pain, hurt, irritability, infection, interference with our abilities to get things done and others. These remain so long as the wound is open, unhealed. Some wounds never heal. Sometimes, we pick at the scabs of our wounds, preventing their healing!

Forgiveness, the Healing Balm

The healing balm to these open wounds is to forgive. With the healing of true forgiveness, the hurt goes away, infection to ourselves or others is prevented. In some cases the scars may cause us to do things in a different way, but we can move on.

We are all wounded from time to time. We need to, are commanded to, do what we can to heal the wounds.

But realize that some scars will remain.

Known by the Scars: Michael Card

Shalom, Art
Alive in The Word

My thanks to Wendy whose message provided the basis of this blog.