Bring it all to Jesus

I’ve always thought scars are beautiful…not because the process of receiving the scar is always pleasant, but I think it’s because every scar has a story. A story that encapsulates lessons learned, pain that made us grow, tragedy that changed our world… I don’t have many scars. I regret that a little because scars can also be representations of adventures or risks taken. Sometimes the scars, though, are not visible to the naked eye. They lie deep within our soul, reminders of other kinds of pain that have been endured. Of those scars, I have plenty, as do many of us.

Recently, a friend was showing me a scar on her hand. She described how a knife sliced right into her hand and into a nerve. It has been quite some time since the injury was incurred, and though the wound has healed outwardly, when bumped or hit the wrong way, that wound can still be felt inwardly because of the great damage that was done. It can still cause her to flinch and can still send a lightning bolt through her arm. In a similar way, is it not so with us?

We carry around scars that are sometimes visible, sometimes not, but their sting can still be felt and remind us of some difficulty we have lived through. And it feels as if at times those scars and their incomprehensible torment and affliction will never have an end or truly be resolved. Their lingering electric shocks send waves through our system that sometimes paralyze us…BUT…here is where we insert the most lovely and captivating thought …but Jesus.

The beautiful scars on his hands, feet, and side…they are the undoing of our every sin and sorrow and the basis for our complete healing: “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

Today, if the wounds and the scars are too much, bring them to Jesus. If the shock waves still shake and rattle your system, bring them to Jesus. If the healing of your pain is incomplete or warped, bring it to Jesus, and let Him set things right. Take a moment today and open your Bible; read Matthew 11:28 and let Him give you rest.

–Katie Botello