Psalm 30:5 says, “…weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” The other day I was sitting on a footbridge which crossed above a small creek. As I sat there my eyes fell on a two-and-a-half-year-old scar. The pain at this point is a distant memory. All that remains is a permanent mark on my leg and the memory.

I remember the moment I tripped on the root and went crashing into the creek (it was cartoon worthy). Pain shot through by body; it was excruciating; a thin trail of blood covered the wound, and every inch of my leg was throbbing. It had to be cleaned, so I carefully made my way home. By the time I got home, the bleeding had stopped, but the pain was still there. With proper care and time, it began to heal. Within a week the pain was mostly gone, and within a month it was gone completely.

No matter what causes us pain, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, Psalms reminds us of the healing. Even the physical hurt we walk through can remind us that pain is temporary, and it will be healed. If we can just get through the pain to the healing, it will come, and we will be stronger than before.

Later that year, I wished I had been more careful. Now I was marked with this scar. I wished I could have undone everything: all the pain that was caused, the aftermath, and just everything. But that is not how it works. You know, the healing process in our body is called mitosis, which is where God recreates cells and it actually makes the injured area even stronger, which is why a scar is there. Scars are proof that God will heal our pain.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, “…Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”¹ We often see our scars as proof of our weakness. Don’t! The scars are a witness. They are evidence of God’s mercy, power, and healing. They do remind us of past pain, but that pain is no longer there (or at least not as excruciating as it was). The scars are now to be reminders to us of the Almighty God’s care for us.

The next time you receive a scar or are inflicted with pain (physically, emotionally, or spiritually), remember that God will bring you through it, and He will heal you. So, trust in God that one day you will be able to boast in your scars because they tell of how merciful and loving He is.

~ Moriah

1. 1 Corinthians 12:9-10 ↩︎