Scars Can Be Badges of Honor, Rather Than Marks of Despair

For some reason I’ve been thinking about scars. They’re not a common conversation topic, but we all have them – whether they’re visible or not. What kind do you have? 

Even though I haven’t had a “hard life,” I’ve managed to accumulate my share of scars. On both hands, behind my index fingers, I have nearly identical scars. I remember “earning” one many years ago when my right hand scraped the sharp edge of a metal door as I carried something out of a retail store. I have no recollection, however, of where the other one came from.

I’m not a “sickly” person, but have had a number of surgeries during my lifetime, and some have helped to expand my scar collection. I have the vertical “zipper” from my open-heart surgery more than 13 years ago. (One of the first things people who have undergone such procedures hear in recovery is, “Welcome to the zipper club!”) I have a small scar from having a torn meniscus repaired on my left knee, and “souvenirs” from a few other surgical procedures. I could have auditioned for the role of “Scar” in “The Lion King,” but I didn’t have the “lion eyes” they were looking for.

You might also bear marks from past operations. Even if you don’t, undoubtedly you carry other types of scars that hearken to various life experiences, maybe even from early childhood: A banged-up knee from a playground outing; an injury sustained while competing in a sport; a cut incurred during a carpentry project, or even stretch marks from significant weight loss, or a pregnancy. 

Many scars can’t be seen with our eyes: Harsh, insensitive words still resonating in our memories. Household conflicts hard for our young minds to understand. Abuse – physical or verbal – suffered through unhealthy relationships. Disappointments and failures we won’t forget.

A whole segment of people carry psychological and emotional scars classified as PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder): Veterans who fought in various wars; first responders to horrendous events like 9/11 or fatal traffic accidents; law enforcement officers forced to use lethal force. 

By definition, physical scars are marks left where fibrous connective tissue has developed as wounds, burns or sores were healing. Scarring is a natural part of the healing process, mentally and emotionally, as well as physically. The question is, what do we do with our scars? Even if they serve as reminders of difficulties from our past, they don’t need to define us.

A surgical scar, for instance, often serves as visible proof of not just surviving, but overcoming some type of physical pain or struggle. A mark remains, but we’re still here. What about invisible scars of emotional pain? They remain as memories, but needn’t shape our future.

Recently I heard a praise song in which the vocalist sang he was “thankful for the scars.” This reminds me of Scripture passages that speak of how adversity can prove to be a growing experience. For instance, “…we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4).

Similarly, the apostle James offered these words of admonition: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

Romans 8:28 reminds us, “that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Not all, but some of those “things” leave scars, even when we can discern how the Lord has used them for our good.

When I think of positive effect scars can provide, what stands out foremost are those Jesus Christ carried from the cross. John 20 tells about Jesus showing them to Thomas as proof of His resurrection; those scars remain as an eternal memorial to what He has done for us all: “and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed“ (1 Peter 2:24). 

Yes, even though we might have disliked the processes that brought them to us, we can truly be thankful for the scars.

Utilizing the Very Best Doctors

Who would make your
"best doctors" list?

Things we encounter on the Internet reminds me a lot of Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates: You never know what you’re going to get. But, like most boxes of chocolates, you do find enough good stuff that perusing content on the Internet is generally worth the effort.

With healthcare reform such a recurring – and controversial – topic these days, an online column caught my eye. It claimed to list the “Seven Best Doctors.” No, it wasn’t citing famed physicians from the past, like Hippocrates, Louis Pasteur, Joseph Lister, Christian Barnard or Jonas Salk. It wasn’t listing pop culture doctors like Dr. Pepper, Dr. Scholl’s, or Dr. Seuss. Not even Dr. Phil or Ben Carson.

No, this list was comprised of “doctors” whose services are absolutely free, don’t require health insurance, and are readily accessible for anyone desiring to take advantage of their resources. Here’s the list:

* Sunshine

* Air

* Exercise

* Water

* Diet

* Rest

* Laughter

We could expound on each, because all have therapeutic benefits that have been established both empirically and experientially. But I think this list fell short of being complete by at least two. Because I would add God – and prayer.

In Jeremiah 33:6, the Lord speaks of healing He offers both physically and spiritually: “Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.”

Providing physical healing was one of the ways Jesus demonstrated His divine power. “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness” (Matthew 9:35).

And through His own suffering, Christ offers spiritual healing to anyone willing to accept His “cure”: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). "...and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed" (1 Peter 2:24).   

There are many examples of the importance of prayer throughout the Scriptures, but the book of James states it emphatically: “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray…. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well…. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:13-16).

As I’ve mentioned in other posts, I have great appreciation for the skills of the doctors who have tended to my various maladies and illnesses over the years. Their gifts and expertise have been great blessings for me and our family. But I’m also thankful for the care I’ve received from the “free” doctors, too.

The value of sunshine, air, exercise, water, diet, rest and laughter can’t be measured. Even more the healing powers of God, often through prayer. I’ll never forget, after being informed I would require open-heart surgery to correct an aortic aneurysm, as well as several arterial blockages, the words I read in Psalm 41:3 as I prayed over what lay ahead for me:

            “The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness.”

Just the medicine I needed at that moment; the kind of medicine we all eventually will need. 

Dancing With the Scars?

Life has its way of leaving scars, doesn’t it? My first physical scar showed up in my 20’s. I was lugging a large box out of a retail store and scraped the top of my right hand against a metal door. It wasn’t a deep gash, but to this day I bear a “souvenir” of the incident. Years later I managed to cut myself in nearly the same spot on my other hand, so I’m still fairly symmetrical. (You know what “symmetry” is? In the South, it’s where they take the body after it leaves the funeral home.)

My most prominent scar came nearly nine years ago when I underwent open-heart surgery to have four bypasses and have my aorta replaced. I became an unofficial member of “the zipper club,” because that’s kind of what it looks like after they stitch you back up. My “zipper” is less pronounced now, but the scar lingers.

I’ve been thinking about scars because of a comment made by a young lady I met about six years ago. Like me, she had an aortic aneurysm and required an open-heart procedure to correct it. Since we had the same cardiothoracic surgeon, he suggested I meet with her and her family to discuss my surgery experience and the recovery process.

The young woman, who also has fared well since her surgery, said on social media recently her only regret is the scar that remains quite visible. This is understandable, especially given the emphasis our society places on external appearance. And some people have the insensitivity to stare whenever they observe something even slightly out of the ordinary.

I responded to her post, noting the scar proudly represents the surgery that has allowed her to pursue her life’s dreams, get married, and enjoy countless mornings filled with opportunity. Rather than a flaw, her scar can be viewed as a gift from God.

The world is filled with individuals who appear flawless on the outside. Who they are on the inside, however, can be a very different story. I’ve met some people like that. The gossip magazines and tabloid talk shows introduce us to many more of them.

This is why the Bible reveals God is far more concerned with what how we look on the inside than on the outside. In fact, 1 Samuel 16:7 tells us, “God sees not as man sees. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

And Jesus wasn’t trying to win friends and influence people when He denounced the preeminent religious leaders of the day: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness” (Matthew 23:27-28).

He wasn’t saying people shouldn’t have any concern about looking their best, but we should give greater attention to our inner person: “All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart” (Proverbs 21:2).

Of course, not all scars are visible. They can be emotional or psychological, the remnants of cruel, damaging words as well as physical abuse in its many despicable forms. They may be easier to conceal than a surgical scar, but there just the same.

The key, I believe, is learning to get past them and the pain they represent – dancing with the scars, so to speak.

As followers of Christ, when we stare at our scars and declare, “God, you don’t understand,” we can hear His reply, “Yes, child, I do understand.” As Isaiah 53:5 reminds us, “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

Jesus suffered on our behalf, and the Bible says even today He bears the scars of His atoning sacrifice for our sins. Because of that, we truly have the privilege of dancing with our scars. “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy” (Psalm 30:11).