Pain, Scars & Healing

"Scars prove that we’ve been wounded. They reveal our weaknesses, our follies, our humanity, and they stand as a testament of the chance encounters we’ve had with pain. Second, scars prove that we’ve healed. Whatever wounds we have borne, as we look at our bodies each day, those scars are evidence that time does heal."*

My body bears quite a few scars. I inherited the tendency to form keliods (excessive scar tissue) from Mom. Most injuries that pierce my skin leave their mark. The big ones leave big marks. Over one eyebrow is the scar from the time I cracked my forehead on Gram and Poppie's table in Arlington Heights. As an adult I bent over quickly to dust something, hit my forehead on the corner of a table, and opened a gash between my eyebrows. Then there are the huge scars from my burn; those cover several areas of my body - still as vivid, to me, as they were back in 1953 when I was burned. My fingers show scars from various mishaps over the years. 

Life's experiences have left other scars, not all of them visible. Whenever one of those experiences comes to my mind, I am now going to check out one of my visible scars to help me remember the wonderful healing that has taken place in my life. 

Pain, scars, and healing bring to mind what Jesus Christ suffered for us. He is often portrayed with pierced hands, feet, and side. Those wounds came from His suffering for us - for our weaknesses, follies, and humanity. If we accept Him, the atonement, and His gospel into our lives, we will be healed. 

*Josh Allen