As a Mom of three boys, I have dealt with my share of open wounds and scabs. We’ve even suffered through a few trips to the ER for stitches and have some ‘cool’ permanent scars to remind us of these past hurts. I have been reflecting a lot lately on some past hurts in my own life. Hurts that happened when I was a kid, that quite honestly didn’t heal properly and left one heck of a nasty scar. Unlike my boys’ scars that are boldly visible across an eyebrow or a chin, my scars have been hidden away from the world…deep down in the dark recesses of my mind. What I am learning now, however, is the devastation and degradation that is caused by letting these scars be hidden away. My Christian walk demands that I live my life ‘in the light’ and this is not just some rule to follow without meaning. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7
This is good stuff. If we lay it all out there, brush away the facades and address our past hurts, in the light and truth of Jesus Christ, then we will be purified–cleansed of the shackles of the darkness which so powerfully tries to drown us each and every day. It is not enough that I remember my past hurts–I must expose them to the light (Jesus and His word and to my Christian brothers and sisters) in order for them to be purified and washed away. Just like a wound that doesn’t heal properly, I must re-open that scar, cleanse out the wound, and let it heal once again. The new scar then becomes that which is known as a battle scar–been there, done that, it was awful, but through God’s grace I am redeemed and healed…the new scar becomes a visible testimony.
Psalm 143:8 “Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.”
– Ellie K.
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