A few months ago when large public events were still a thing, I decided to be cute and pass out in the middle of the floor–which happened to be concrete. It was about as fun as you would imagine. The result was a gaping wound on my chin, and maybe a little bit of drama and embarrassment. The paramedics did show up, but thankfully no ambulance ride was involved! Now many months later I have a little scar on my chin to remind me of that wonderful day.
Healing is a funny thing. You’ve probably heard the phrase “time heals all wounds” and you’ve probably also heard people say “that’s not true”. Watching the wound on my chin become a nice little scar has left me to ponder, and think about what my friend often says “time heals clean wounds”. There is something amazing and wonderful about the healing process, and a scar is a reminder of that. “Scarred” typically carries a negative connotation. We might have a tendency to see scarring as marring or “damaged goods.” Often they are marks of shame, that many make great effort to conceal. But really, scars are truly beautiful. Each scar tells a story–though it is a reminder of a traumatic moment it is also a mark of healing. Wounds only become scars when they heal. But, to heal properly I had to will myself to another level of discomfort and pain. Allowing the doctor to irrigate, clean, and stitch up the gaping hole on my chin was almost worse than the initial trauma of my face hitting the floor. But an uncared for wound would have festered and become infected over time. I knew time would only heal a clean wound, so I submitted myself to the productive pain of caring for the wound. The tended to wound has now become a scar. Now it is a mark, a reminder, a sign—healing has taken place.
We have all be wounded, certainly deeper than the cut on my chin. Your heart may still be bleeding from certain wounds, and perhaps it feels better to nurse the wound without going through the pain of cleaning it out and caring for it properly. Painful as it may be, to heal requires cleaning out and sewing shut. Not to be forgotten or minimized, but to become a scar. A beautiful mark that tells a story, a story of grace and healing. Because once it is a scar, it is no longer a wound. Our wounds will hurt and fester until they are cleaned out and allowed to heal. May we be willing to submit to the gentle hands of the Great Physician so that our wounds can become scars, and our scars become marks of grace.
