We all have some type of scar on our bodies.  Some have many more than others.  I made a list of the scars I have and they were plentiful.  I got most of them while I was a young boy and teenager growing up climbing trees, riding bikes, playing in the woods and rough housing with my friends, cousins and brothers. Those scars are mostly from stitches, cuts, bruises and broken bones obtained while doing or attempting to do something I should not have been involved in.  Thinking about those scars brings back many memories, some of which were not so pleasant.  

Like the time or two or three I went over the handlebars of my bike after jumping a homemade ramp at Grandma’s house.  Or maybe the scars from stitches on my hands from running too fast down the road and not paying attention to what I was doing, man pavement does not give to human skin. Sliding down the giant hill when it snowed and crashing into trees, other people and even bridges.  The human body is not designed to bounce off of wood, metal and other man made things designed to stop vehicles.  

How about the time me and my cousins decided we would run across the pasture to the other side and see if the neighbors old bull could catch us before we jumped over the electric fence and into the creek for safety.  Well that electric fence we had to get across with those prickly pieces of wire was rough on the human body, not to mention the shock from the fence itself as we tried to jump it and missed.  Once I remember one of my cousins hanging upside down pleading for help as we ran to get away from that big bull.  He was all tangled up and we knew he was getting a shock, but we were not about to stop and save him.  

How about the numerous times we played tackle football in the yard.  Man, we hit each other hard and there was no protective gear.  Many bumps, bruises and breaks came from those games for my brothers, cousins, friends and I.  If you had the ball, you had best run real fast because a big hit was coming and you would pay even if you fumbled the ball or tossed it away.  Swinging from the tree on a rope was one of our favorite things to do and that resulted in several falls, man we are lucky we survived.  Being young, flexible and having good bones is a plus that helped us overcome being young and dumb at the time. 

Fast forward to my 50’s and those scars do not heal so fast.  Our bones take longer to heal, we twist an ankle and it is miserable for weeks.  We have surgery and it takes a lot longer to heal.  We break a bone and are out of work for weeks at a time. Obviously, I would not attempt many of those things I wrote earlier because, well, I kind of like not breaking things or tempting fate. I have found that the older I get the longer it takes to heal those scars.

My most recent scar is my biggest reminder of all.  I had blockages in my heart and they had to go in and fix me.  I had several severe blockages that had to be fixed instantly, within days of being found.  I wrote about a miracle that led me to going to the doctor, them finding my problems and fixing me up.  Millions of people have had these fixed and many have died from them.  I recently heard a song called “Scars” by the group I Am They.  I had never heard it and it brought me to tears.  I was sitting there looking at my wrist and that little itty bitty scar about the size of a lead in #2 pencils. 

I had been reading the bible about seeking God’s grace, mercy and wisdom in our lives.  In the reading it spoke about God and his power to heal our physical and spiritual wounds.  As I was thinking about how close I came to dying, that song came on and as I said, it brought instant tears.  For I suddenly was reminded that God loves us, has a plan for our lives.  

It made me think about being more grateful for life and how God had spared me to continue working for him.  That itty bitty scar on my wrist is a symbol of God’s love, his grace, mercy and forgiveness for sinners like me and you.  I am thankful for that scar, and it helped me realize just who you are.  If things get tough, I just glance down and take a quick peek at that scar. It is a symbol of hope, love and my future.  It tells me that Jesus loves me more than I know and gives us small reminders about our past, present and future with him.

Galatians 6:17, From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

Isaiah 53:5, But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.