No Scars ... No Proof By Cortney Donelson

This devotion was first published on "As a Clay Jar" in 2013. It happens to be the most viewed post to date by those in the United States. I hope you enjoy either reading it for the first time or revisiting it. My prayer is that the message is one of encouragement but also of conviction ... that we shouldn't hide our hurts if God wants us to use them for His glory. Amen?

Galatians 6:17 (The Message)

“Quite frankly, I don’t want to be bothered anymore by these disputes. I have far more important things to do – the serious living of this faith. I bear in my body scars from my service to Jesus.”

Growing up an avid athlete, I had my fair share of injuries. In fact, I had plenty of surgeries in attempts to fix those injuries, and those surgeries left a lot of scars. After my second wrist surgery to repair the torn ligaments that ended my tennis career, I had accumulated 11 scars from scalpels alone. It was then I received an amusing T-shirt from a family member. The back of the shirt read, “No scars … No proof.” It reminded me that my body had taken some abuse over the years. More importantly, it reminded me of what I had received in return for those wounds – self-confidence, determination, triumph, friendship, discipline, courage, and memories that will last a lifetime. The scars were the proof of what I had gained, and they were worth it.

Jesus bore wounds that were worth our very lives. There was a disciple to whom Jesus appeared after His crucifixion – one who needed a little extra information in order to believe the Good News. In John 20:24-25, Jesus’ wounds would become the proof Thomas needed of Jesus’ resurrection. “One of the twelve disciples, Thomas, was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he replied, ‘I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” Eight days later, Jesus allowed Thomas to do just that. Those wounds were proof that the living God had come to earth, died for our sins, and rose again. Jesus was alive!

Sometimes, our wounds are worth it too. But, our wounds are not always physical, are they? Most of us have emotional and spiritual hurts too. Thomas wasn’t the only one to receive the Good News. Jesus came to heal our wounds as well – all of them. Some wounds are superficial, bleed for a short time, and are then forgiven and forgotten. Others remain active for years – similar to cuts on knuckles that keep reopening. They tear at our confidence. Jesus can heal those long-standing hurts too.

How? He stops the bleeding, and He leaves the scars. I believe if He erased our experiences and left no evidence of our pain, we might not learn from those experiences. Think about it. Would we remember them without the scars? Would we be able to turn them into powerful messages for God’s gain and glory? Probably not. As they say, “Out of sight, out of mind.”

Many of us try to hide our wounds and scars. I used to do this. I would cover them up, keep them private, and deny their existence. I believed they were ugly and thought if I ignored them, they would go away. Can I share something? That is a lie. As a believer, I have learned that God not only sows up our wounds and builds scars over them, but He also uses them in mighty ways – if we allow Him. Galatians 6:17 in The Message says, “Quite frankly, I don’t want to be bothered anymore by these disputes. I have far more important things to do – the serious living of this faith. I bear in my body scars from my service to Jesus.” It’s time we stop being bothered by the fact that we have scars. Maybe it is time we start seeing them as God does – ugly made into beautiful. As the Scripture says, I have more important things to do than worry about what others might think – namely, I need to be living authentically for a Savior who is bigger than any wound I bear.

All of us have wounds. It’s part of life. We can stop trying to be perfect and stop pretending we are unscathed. When we allow God to heal our hurts, He does … and leaves the scars. He doesn't erase them. Doing so would take away our memory – our message. We all carry scars that shape who we are and the decisions we make. Many times as Christ followers, we are offered the opportunity to sustain wounds and bear the scars in service to Jesus. And, what an awesome opportunity that is! After all, no scars … no proof.

Prayer –Thank You, Father God, for the wounds Jesus’ bore on our behalf. The scars on His body are the proof that our sins are forgiven, and we have a home in Your heavenly dwelling. For that, we are all so grateful. I pray we don’t try to hide our hurts in darkness but bring them to You, the ultimate healer. I pray we don’t judge others’ wounds and scars, but instead allow You to heal them and use them for Your glory. I know by doing so, we will all find Your joy. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN!

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