Scars

I laid in bed the other night pondering scars.  Why do we heal from our physical wounds yet keep a reminder of our trauma?  Is this part of the fall/ sin?  Quite possibly.  Christ kept his scars to prove to the one who doubted that he was truly who he said he was.  Without them, Thomas would have never believed.  Scars seem to carry some significance.  My thoughts went further still and I found myself examining scars of the heart.  These normally are in the form of memories.  Why do we keep them?  Why is it when we heal from these wounds do the memories not fade.  Yes, they become less painful and easier to talk about but we can recall them perfectly.  They also seem to always carry  defining moments in our lives.  Again, they are significant.  I have come to realize the things I have gone through, am going through, will continue to go through is very significant to my Abba.  He, too, has felt every slash, gash, stab, and nick on my heart.  I think He has not given me the ability to forget these things not because he wants me to remember the pain but to remind me of his love that got me through those times.  Just as Christ kept his scars not to remind Thomas (and me for that matter) of the pain he went through but to show him what he went through because he loved us.   I have loathed the way my scars looked for a long time (once I  finally come to a place where they felt healed) but now I am beginning to appreciate their worth.  Before receiving the wounds that caused these scars, my relationship with the Lord was strong but a bit shallow.  My faith was there but had never been tested and my ability to share and relate with others was null.  The truth about scars is that it shows healing has taken place so having them is actually a good thing.  Christ's scars carry our healing.  These marks show that I have allowed healing to take place, that I  have allowed my Abba to wipe away the pain and leave His love behind and that I have allowed the scar tissue to build a band of resistance against my enemy.  My scars are beautiful and I am learning to embrace them.