Scar Tales

I have a few scars on my body: one on my forehead from tackling a church pew at 3 years old, one on my hand from catching a broken ceramic bowl and getting 10 stitches, and a couple on my right knee from arthroscopic surgery many years ago. My wife has her own collection ranging from c-sections to cancer-related surgeries, and nerve reattachment in her finger.

Our body's scars tell personal stories of accidents, healing, and recovery. Our emotional scars do the same even though they may not be as outwardly visible. Sometimes our inward scars scare us and we try to hide them instead of confronting them and then telling our story of healing and recovery. For our own growth and the benefit of others, we have to not be afraid to tell those stories. Our testimony can encourage others and speak of the healing power of God in our lives. They help describe who we are and the journey we have taken to be at this point. We can help people in similar circumstances endure the hard parts of recovery and realize that they aren't alone in the painful part of their journey.

My scars don't inhibit me like they used to, but they do remind me of the path I've taken to get here and the power that is found in sharing recovery.