The Life Cycle of a Scar

As I mentioned earlier, I have a scar on my arm.  It's not pretty.  But it's better than it was.

I remember seeing that scar the first day I took the bandage off my arm, 8 days post-op.  All the steri-strips had fallen off, and all that was left was a very exposed, very raw scar.  I couldn't cover it with long sleeves; it was painful to touch, to try to cover, so I pretty much stayed inside the house, content to be alone with my wound while it healed.

Within a few weeks, I could tell it was getting better, but still it was red and raw.  At least it was no longer painful to the touch, so I could put on a long sleeve shirt and go outside into the world.

As more time passed, I was still acutely aware of the scar, and at times, others were aware of it as well. But for the most part,  I no longer thought about it all the time.  Every now and then, I'd bump it, and it would hurt, and I would remember it was there.

It's still there.  Not yet healed, but not so raw.  Just . . . well . . . there.

I am assured by the folks that know these things, that someday my scar will be a tiny little line, a small reminder that I once had something bad happen to me.

I think that's the way of scars.  And the usefulness of them.  They are a small reminder that something bad once happened to us.  And that we survived.

All that to say, I guess I'll learn to love this scar I am presently carrying.  You know the one I mean.

3 comments:

  1. I used to keep the slogan, "Scars remind us that the past was real," close at hand while working in medicine. Now I prefer to use, "Scars remind us what God brought us through."

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  2. I've been thinking about scars too lately. Recently as I was reading about Jesus showing His scars on His hands and side to Thomas and the disciples, it dawned on me that this was Jesus' resurrected body and yet the scars remained. For some reason, I have always thought that when we received our new immortal bodies, they would be perfect without scars or blemish. It's interesting to ponder the value and purpose behind God allowing them to remain for eternity.

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  3. Wow. LeAnna. That's very deep. And a great question!

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