Scars. I have a few. In one of the creases of the palm of my left had, I have a small one. The result of a very large splitter. Growing up we had an old painter's plank, the kind that they use on scaffolding. We used to prop it up against the wall dividing our house and our next door neighbours. It was easy access to our friends. One day I run up and my foot slipped, so I did the only logical thing . . . I grabbed the side of the plank to stop myself from falling! The result was that a huge piece of dirty wood pieced my left hand. I remember pulling out an inch long piece from my and and thinking that was the only piece and so I ran up the plank and went to play. Soon I realized that there was something wrong, as that part of my hand festered and swelled. Long story short I had to have and equal sided piece surgically removed, which resulted in the one and only 2 stitches I have ever had. I bare the scar as a reminder to be careful when climbing things.
Then there’s the very little one just above my top lip. I was playing tennis with some friends a few years ago. In a bizarre moment that will never be repeated, I attempted to hit the ball but on the follow through I whacked my face with the head of my racquet, thereby jamming the skin into my tooth and literally making a tiny hole. When I closed my mouth and puffed up my cheeks I could feel and hear the air whistling through it. Gross.
The other one is the head injury inflicted by a friend while playing cricket.
I have other “scars”. My weak knees from playing rugby and four square. My 2 front teeth that I chipped on a cricket pitch roller when I was 7 or 8. The list goes on. Some are physical, others are emotional and to be honest there are some spiritual ones too.
The other day, my wife and I took our little girl, Emily to see Cars 2. To be honest I was skeptical about it but its a Pixar movie and my thoughts are, Pixar at their worst is probably better than anything anyone else has to offer. I enjoyed it. Emily feel asleep. This however is not a review. There is this one moment when Mater, the rusted, crazy tow truck is being fitted with a disguise as he has mistakingly been confused as a secret agent (stay with me now). The car doing the work wants to fix his dents so that the disguise will work properly but Mater refuses because his dents remind him of the good times he has had with his friends, specifically Lightening McQueen. In other words, his dents are part of what defines him.
You see our scars tell our story. Think about the scars you have and generally they are wrapped up in a story that involves someone else. Whether they are physical, emotional or spiritual there is a story behind them and like it or not they play a big part in defining who we are.
Scar are important to us because:
They remind us of the people in our lives. Every one of my scars reminds of the people I was with when I got the scar. Good or bad. Positive or negative. The thing I have come to realize though is that for the most part is that those people whether I like it or not who have contributed to who I am.
They remind us of the lessons we have learned. For instance I will never again use a cricket pitch roller as a seesaw. The fact is though each scar serves as a lesson. Sometimes we learn from that lesson and sometimes we don’t.
They are in integral part of our story.
They can influence and affect others.
The interesting thing is that the Bible tells us of Jesus’ scars. Yes there were the physical ones on the cross in his hands, feet and side but his scars ran deeper than just the physical. Rejected, mocked, teased, let down by friends . . . I used to think that Jesus was somehow unaffected by all of that. He wasn’t. He couldn’t have been. If he was fully human then his scars were really and he felt them and they defined him, or how he dealt with them defined him.
Isaiah from the Bible tells that Jesus’ wounds/scars heal us. He is not talking about physical healing but is referring to the fact that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross heals our relationship with God. How he carries or uses his scars defines him as the one who brings healing.
So I guess it’s not the scar but how you carry it that defines you.
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