Saturday, January 2, 2016

The Great Physician

Yesterday my child decided to get bit by a dog.  I have no idea what happened because he was at his dad's  at the time but he ended up needing 8 stitches.  He was hysterical.  We tried to do topical numbing medication but he wouldn't hold still so the doctor decided to do conscious sedation.  While he was stitching he was talking about the scars that would be left behind.  He will have 2 possibly 3 on his lip and 1 under his chin.  The doctor said that as the scars heal they will fade but also as he grows they will look smaller because they will stay the same size but he will not.

Last night I started thinking about that explication and all the scars I have.  My body has some scars from surgeries and injuries but my heart has so many more.  So then I was wondering if my emotional scars are the same as my physical ones.  Did they heal the same way?

Any time we get hurt we have three choices.  First, you can choose to do nothing about it.  We could have just acknowledged the fact that Kole got bit and leave it at that, let it heal on its own.  The end result would be a lip that did not heal properly.  Pieces of tissue barely hanging there, not able to eat right because of the gaping split in his lip, and infection because of all the exposed tissue on the lip where bacteria would love to call home.  Eventually it would scar over but it would take a very long time and would be more likely to be re-injured because there is not a lot of protection there.

The other situation would include him getting hurt, us getting it stitched back up but he would not grow any more than he already is.  The scar would be there and be just as big in 10 years as it is today.  It healed well, no infection because it was protected by stitches and medication, but it would always take up just as much space on his face as it already does.  Or, we could get it stitched, take great care of it and as he grows the scar will stay the same size but it will take up less and less space.

So what if I apply that same idea to my emotional scars.  The way I see it I have 3 choices when life decides to hand me my own scars.  Choice number one:  Do nothing.  These wounds will heal and scar over but in a way that would only bring me more pain and hurt.  I can allow the pain that has been done to make me bitter, angry, hard-hearted.  That would make for one sad existence.   Choice 2:  Allow healing to take place but that is the extent I allow Him to do.  I do not grow, or learn, or change.  I just mend, i just survive.  I can look like I have it all together, happy and healthy, but it is all superficial.  Underneath there is not much more than that scar that still harbors a large part of my heart.  Choice 3:  I can grow.  Every trial we go through, every hurt we experience gives us the opportunity to become closer to Christ.  Each scar we earn has a purpose and will take time to heal, but if we turn it over the Christ and allow him to heal us then the scar will become less as He becomes more.  It will always be there but in a way that can serve as a reminder of all that He has done for us and all He can do for others.

I have been hurt so many times I have lost count, some of it from my own doing, most of it from others making choices that affect me.  Some experiences hurt more than others but they all left their mark on me.  They have all shaped me into who I am today.  I can't say that every time I faced heartache I turned to Christ.  More than once I have turned from Him, tired to take care of it on my own, and I usually ended up worse off than before.  True healing can only come from Christ.  He will bring a type of healing that gives us hope for the future, not despair for the past.  Through every trial He is there to comfort us, to encourage us, to love us and to grow us.  It may be in the form of a friend or through His word or through His church, but he is always there, being the strength we need, giving us the hope we crave.  I have known so many great doctors over the last few years but none of them compare to Him.  He is the only one who can heal my heart.  He is the only one that can save my soul.  He is the only one that can take this ugly scars and make them a beautiful reminder of the Love he has for his patients.  He is the only Great Physician.

1 comment:

  1. Remember, this too shall pass!
    There's always a silver lining.

    ReplyDelete