Scars

Isaiah 53:5 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. />Do you have a scar somewhere on your body marking a specific moment? As I was staring in the mirror (in my 50-something birthday suit, which for some reason is not as cute as a toddler's bumps and rolls!), looking back at me was a 4-inch scar from my one and only C-section delivery of my third daughter, who was born breech. I'm not going to lie, childbirth does not rank up there as the most fun in the pain department, and even though C-sections are different than natural childbirth, they are accompanied by their own type of pain. But looking at my now-19-year old beautiful Taylor, I know that that scar was worth every second of the pain that accompanied it. My son Ford has a scar right above his right eye. When he was about 2 years old, we were in our neighbor's yard pushing one of the girls on a tree swing. In just the blink of an eye, he darted in front of the swing and WHAP!, he was facedown on the ground. Even now, I can remember vividly that I was wearing a white blouse, and I can still hear the screams, and the blood that was everywhere. I can remember holding him in the backseat of the car as we raced to the urgent care center and can clearly recall holding him as the doctor neatly stitched up the wound. I remember the hurt. The pain. The cries. Of course, our best picture of scarring is in Jesus, and the suffering He bore on our behalf. I started thinking about this amazing, humble man, born the Son of God, who came to earth in the flesh. He lived, healed, related, empathized, and taught human beings who didn't understand Him. Then He endured beatings and brutality that tore His flesh. Unlike Ford's single wound that could be sewn together with a few stitches, the torture and 39 scourges couldn't be simply and completely healed. Picturing that graphic scene astounds me. Jesus bore these scars all over His body for me. Totally on my behalf. So that I could be fully, wholly and entirely healed of the scars that sin inflicts on my spirit. We serve a God who loves us so much. Through our mess, pain, trials, joys, struggles. I cannot believe that Jesus would voluntarily submit to that agony for me. Our world gets caught up in religion, but I am here to proclaim that it is not about religion at all. Rather, it is about a relationship. A supernatural being whose love is as deep as it is wide. Someone whose body is marked with major scars for you and for me. Someone who is aching for you to surrender your heart. We all have scars. Some can be seen on your eye or stomach or leg, and others are hidden deep beneath that no one can see. But God sees. He knows what pain you endured when you received them. And He wants to heal each and every one. His word is a soothing balm that promotes that healing. Take a few moments today and ask God to heal your scars... whether they are scars of doubt or disappointment or betrayal or resentment. Know that the fruit of the scars He is planning for me are perfect and complete. He is waiting, and His healing is real. I have a C-section scar that reminds me of my beautiful daughter, and I have a living relationship with Jesus because of the real scars He carries because He delivered me.