Scars

I’ve come to realize some of my best thinking is done while sitting in doctors’ waiting rooms. It’s my way to allow my thoughts to move from the obvious unanswered questions and drift towards what I know to be clear. Such was the case last week when I was waiting on my surgeon’s PA to come in and remove two sets of staples from my rebuilt left leg. Rather than focusing on the staples themselves, I focused on my two new scars and how they now become part of a collection which peppers my body. Some of those scars were well-intentioned and created to prevent or correct something that was wrong with my body; others occurred by accident or sheer happenstance as I meandered my way through life. But in either case those scars tell a story about the journey I’ve traveled.

Seen and Unseen

Some of the most painful scars we all deal with are the ones which aren’t visible. These are the ones which are felt on our hearts and the ones that plague our minds. You know this, because these are the ones that become visible when you are alone with your thoughts. For me it’s not the radiation burns, or the scars left from the multiple surgeries, it’s the cross words from my youth, it’s the broken promises, and the betrayals which left the greatest scars on my life.

This may be a stretch, but I don’t think I’m alone in my thinking when I describe these scars. I’d gladly discuss the scar you see on my leg or explain about the skin graft on my hand before discussing what life looked like growing up overweight and having the nickname “Moby” when I played football. And while I did get a great deal of satisfaction not blocking for my quarterback who coined this nickname just so I could see him abused by the other team, the pain from that scar was real, it was tangible, and it made an impact as you can tell from this post.

Captive or Free

One thing that has become clear to me is the fact there will always be scars in my life that I’m unable to overcome on my own. These are the hurts that run so deep I can’t envision what letting them go looks like because they have been with me so long. But then I think of the scars I’ve left on others and the grace I’ve been given; how can I NOT extend that grace to others when it has been freely given to me. And for those of us who are Christians how can we hold on to scars when it was our sin that scarred our Savior’s body and it was our sin He freely chose to die for so we would have the promise of an eternal life. 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17

Healing is a choice, you can either hold on or let go.

For too many years and for far too long I wanted to hold on to the pain because it gave me an excuse and or a pass for something else that was wrong in my life. But freedom…true freedom comes from when you let go, when you forgive, and when you move forward sharing the lessons you have learned!

So I ask you to take a minute and reflect on the scars in your life…those visible and unseen to the world around you.

-What is keeping you from moving forward?

-Who do you have to forgive?

-How can you leverage what you have learned to help someone else?

If I can ask you to be so bold share one of your life lessons for the benefit of the Leveraging Life community…we learn and grow together when we share our life experiences!

~Tom

trusting God period!

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