Scars

As a little girl, I ran around with my brothers and did everything they did. Consequently, I have several scars to show for it. My first scar is in the middle of my forehead from when I was sitting in my brother’s room, and one of my brothers was in the top bunk bed and pushed the bunk bed’s steps down onto my head when I was three years old.

I received three stitches for that one. I have another scar in my left eyebrow. That one was caused by the same brother and resulted in twelve stitches.

The scar on my forehead over my left eye was caused by the same brother and resulted in another twelve stitches. Another brother put me on the handlebars of my bicycle and rode recklessly down four or five steps and across the street until I eventually fell off, causing a scar under my chin. All in all, I have had thirty stitches and four scars that resulted from something my brothers did. Even though my brothers are the reasons for my scars, I still love them very much. Every time I look at those scars, I remember exactly what happened and who caused them. Jesus has scars that we caused. We are the reason for His scars.

Every time He looks at His scars, He remembers exactly what happened. Even though we are the reason for His scars, He still loves us very much.

“Jesus ascended on high from the field of conflict, bearing in His own person His bruises and scars as trophies of His victory, which was to result in annihilating the power of the first rebel, who [before he rebelled] was a chieftain in glory, an exalted angel in heaven. There was rejoicing in heaven, and the proclamation was carried to all worlds that the ruined race was redeemed. The gates of heaven were thrown open to the repentant race who would cease their rebellion and return to their allegiance to the law of God.”* Remember, whatever you are going through, Jesus has already paid the price of eternal life for each of us.

Keeping our minds focused on His sacrifice will allay all fears and anxiety.

Pauline J. Maddox

* Ellen G. White, Christ Triumphant (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald®, 1999), 292.