Heal the Wound but Leave the Scar

Heal the Wound but Leave the Scar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sXt3RU_1do

I used to wish that I could rewrite history
I used to dream that each mistake could be erased
Then I could just pretend
I never knew the me back then

I used to pray that You would take this shame away
Hide all the evidence of who I've been
But it's the memory of
The place You brought me from
That keeps me on my knees
And even though I'm free

Heal the wound but leave the scar
A reminder of how merciful You are
I am broken, torn apart
Take the pieces of this heart
And heal the wound but leave the scar

I have not lived a life that boasts of anything
I don't take pride in what I bring
But I'll build an altar with
The rubble that You've found me in
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
And every stone will sing
Of what You can redeem

Heal the wound but leave the scar
A reminder of how merciful You are
I am broken, torn apart
Take the pieces of this heart
And heal the wound but leave the scar

Don't let me forget
Everything You've done for me
Don't let me forget
The beauty in the suffering

Heal the wound but leave the scar
A reminder of how merciful You are
I am broken, torn apart
Take the pieces of this heart
And heal the wound but leave the scar

Heal the Wound but Leave the Scar is the title of a song on the latest album by Point of Grace. It is a great song and as I was listening to it this last Sunday on Gardendale’s service on TV and again Saturday night as I was praying about the lesson God wanted me present this week, it made me think of some times I had really rather forget. Most of us have these. The song is talking about the wounds as a result of mistakes made in life, bad decisions, hurts we have been through, that kind of thing. It maybe refers more to sin in our lives and things in the past that we are embarrassed about.

Not as often as in the past but sometimes the memories of some very bad times in my life come back. I am sure this happens to most folks. The memories can be so vivid and that they can take you right back there again. You may feel and see it all again. In my case, after working through it, I usually wrestle with the Lord a little, wondering what is the purpose of this remembering. Why do we need to feel it all and hurt so much again? Now, it never goes away, there is always pain, but it may not be as intense as it can be sometimes. Something reminds us and the pain comes again. What is the Lord's purpose in those painful memories and why are they still necessary.

Have you ever thought these memories come up so we can remember not to lose our compassion for others, especially when there are many people are struggling with various situations. Maybe we need to spend more time praying for others who we know are hurting. Maybe we need to reach out and give a hand to one of these people. Maybe we need to really care! Maybe we need to understand that what may seem trivial or simple to us may really be big for one of our brothers or sisters! It obvious that sometimes it takes a lot for the Lord to get our attention of our selves and put our focus on others.

Jesus kept his physical scars. The Bible related the appearance of Jesus to his disciples after his resurrection in Luke 24. Verse 40 says When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And if we listen to the other gospels, he showed them his side, maybe his back, obviously they would have seen the scars on his head from the piercing thorns. Did you ever wonder why he kept the scars? If he was the son of God, why not completely heal those hands and feet. Why bear the scars?
Why did Jesus keep the scars, show the scars, why does he through eternity keep those scars?
Was it simply to show them that he was the same person that had been crucified? Was it simply to historically verify that the same person who had been brutally treated, died, was buried, came to life again? Or was there a deeper meaning in his scars that he so willingly showed his disciples?
The most obvious reason he showed his disciples the scars, and continues to wear the scars even in eternity is because scars tell a story. Probably if each of us to survey our own body, we would be able to tell the story of virtually every scar that shows. The reason for that - scars tell a story.
We all have wounds in our hearts, either from sin in our lives or painful things that happen along the journey. Whatever the wound is from is not important, what is important is that we have that scar to remind us of what God taught us through the pain. My prayer is that each wound the Lord heals in my life I only hope He leaves a large scar so I won't forget. Our scars should lead us to praise God for His mercy and remind us of the beauty there is in suffering (as the song says). They should lead us to compassion and hearts and hands that go out to others. We shouldn't hide those scars either. The Lord wants us to encourage others with them.
Don't be afraid to let your scars show. Jesus isn’t! As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet. ” Luke 24:40

Lord, thank you for leaving the scars in my life, and please continue to do so. Use them Lord to bring me to my knees in awe of your mercy and how you use broken hearts, and to inspire me to compassion toward others.