THE SCARS; MY VICTORY!

THE SCARS,  MY VICTORY

More than a couple of decades ago, I was involved in a near fatal accident. I had to undergo a five hour oral and maxillofacial surgery. Though I am alive and very well today I have scars on the left side of my face, somewhere around the corner of my left eye and my nose, (left by wounds from the accident) but nothing that a good foundation and some face compact powder cannot fix. Ladies; y’all know what I am talking about, don’t you?

My scars are on the outside today but can be easily concealed if I care to. However, not everyone is as fortunate. Some have physical scars that are glaringly obvious and cannot be hidden even it they tried; some have scars that are hidden away from sight and will only be seen if they choose to show them to others. And some have scars that cannot be seen with the naked eye and yet they run very deep. Wherever the wounds are, some of them will eventually heal and and the scars fade away with or without treatment.

Yet the sad reality is that some wounds will never heal and their scars will never fade away. Wounds from being jilted, from a divorce, a betrayal, the loss of a very dear one, an abuse, an assault, a rape, a failure, an abortion, an affair, (lets just go there shall we!). But the truth (which, if known, will set us free) is that it need not be so because Jesus has borne all the pain and shame that we ought to bear. That simply means that Jesus has gone in our place and if He took our place then we need no longer stay there; in pain, shame, regret or failure.  Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ was so terribly wounded. He was brutally scourged! He bled and died on the cross that He was nailed to. The pain must have been beyond excruciating. But always remember that He did not remain in that place of pain and shame. He fought and came out glorious and triumphant. We need to come away from a place of guilt or self pity and step up to the place of gratitude.  Gratitude because all that Jesus went through was for us. “He cancelled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.” Colossians 2: 14 NLT

“But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” 1 Corinthians 15:57 Good News Translation Right in that place of gratitude lies our victory. In that place of gratitude our healing is complete. When Jesus healed ten lepers, only one came back to show gratitude. “Jesus spoke up, “There were ten who were healed; where are the other nine? Why is this foreigner the only one who came back to give thanks to God?” And Jesus said to him, “Get up and go; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:17-19 Good News Translation Gratitude brings wholeness and restoration.

When Jesus was resurrected from the dead, He came and showed Himself to His disciples.  And guess what? The scars from the points where the nails had pierced Him were still visible. But there was no more pain. Sometimes the scars from our old hurts and wounds might still be visible and that is fine. But we honestly must learn to let go of the pain. It will do us no good at all to keep harbouring regrets or records of wrong. It wearies the bones quite frankly and will make one age prematurely. Let us learn to thank God and be happy for all He has done for us.   “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” Proverbs  17:22 KJV 

I do not know if you have any scars from wounds from your past. And I do not know whether or not they are visible. But I do know that scars are not a label neither are they a definition of who you are.  Jesus nail pierced hands are a sign of victory won for us over sin and death. We must be grateful for that.

YES! THE SCARS ARE THERE; BUT WE HAVE THE VICTORY!

OLUYINKA EGO-MARTINS ©