Treatment for your scars

It seems that you can't make it through childhood without acquiring some scars along the way. One of mine is on my ring finger - an ever present reminder of the day I fell on the iceskating rink and got my finger run over by a boy flying by on hockey skates. The pain was intense. I can still remember how badly that cut stung and the bright red blood that flowed freely from the unsightly gash.

Scars stick with us and serve as ever present tributes to the obstacles we have overcome and the pain we have endured. Scars can be a blessing. They can bolster our spirits when we come under difficulty. By looking back on our scars we can be reminded that we have overcome before and we will overcome again. We can remember that pain doesn't last forever, it fades away and dissipates. 

But what about the scars that we never tend to? Have you ever received a cut or a strain and done nothing to care for it? Instead of keeping the cut clean and treating it with ointment to protect it from infection, you leave it uncovered, just tempting bacteria to fester. And fester it does. The scar never heals properly. Instead it creates a problem for weeks, months and maybe even years to come. 

Our scars won't heal properly without proper care. 

The same goes for our emotional scars. 

Just like we all have scars from our physical falls and mishaps, we all have emotional scars. Just like our physical scars need bandaging and treated, so do our emotional scars. 

There is no over-the-counter treatment that will provide an overnight remedy to our emotional scars. But there is a Savior who came to give us healing and wholeness, treating our wounds and scars with delicate care. 

Isaiah 53:5 says, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

There is healing for your emotional scars. But you must allow Jesus to tend to them. Don't neglect them a moment longer. Ask Jesus to come in and take care of your scars. He can make them heal perfectly, removing all the burden and hurt that can be left behind. He will remove the pain and the lasting sorrow that an uncared for wound can leave in its wake. Jesus is the only one with this power. He alone can heal you wholly and fully, turning the nastiest of gashes into the most beautiful of reminders of just how great a Savior we serve. 

When I look down at my ring finger I am reminded of the pain I felt the day that poor finger was run over by an iceskate. I remember how sharp the stinging was as the blood rushed down my hand. But even in the midst of the memory I am smiling because today it is just a faded scar. Now I can look back and know that throbbing pain does go away. That acute pain I once felt has given way to an encouraging reminder: suffering will pass. 

Our emotional scars can be turned into encouraging reminders, too. Jesus will take our deepest of cuts and turn them into beauty. He will make us lights that shine for Him, pointing the lost towards a God who saves, redeems and heals. The emotional scars that never healed properly when we tried to take care of them on our own stamina with our own remedies will be made right because Jesus will be the one doing the mending and restoring. Our lives and our wounds will become a testimony of His greatness and His power. 

God wants to use your wounds and your scars. He wants to take the emotional baggage, hurt, frustration and sorrow that you carry and turn it into a story of His joy, peace and freedom. You can never heal yourself. By Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection three days later He paid the price to heal your wounds. Now He wants to be your physician. He wants to step into your brokenness and treat your emotional hurts. All He asks is that you let Him.