I've had six laparoscopic surgeries since I was a teenager.  My abdomen is a patchwork of fading scars of various shapes and sizes....

Scars are such funny little things if you think about them. They are a reminder of a past trauma, hurt, or wound, but yet, they are also a sign of healing.  You're no longer experiencing the initial pain, bleeding, or distress you felt before the scar formed.  

Maybe, like me, your scars are physical - the result of surgery, injury, or accident.  Maybe your scars are invisible to the naked eye - the result of mental health battles, emotional trauma, or relational struggles.  

Whatever the cause of your scars may be, I can't think of a better time to reflect on them than during this season of Lent, the season we look towards the scarred hands, feet, and side of our Savior Jesus.  

As we enter into this season of reflection upon the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, maybe you find yourself feeling as Thomas did in John 20: 24-29 where he doubts what Jesus has done.  Maybe you find yourself frustrated, depleted, and tired, doubting that Jesus understands your deepest scars and struggles, feeling that the resurrection doesn't offer the hope or power it once did for your life's circumstances.  

In our weariness, let's remind ourselves of the stories that the Lenten season contains.  

-Jesus was rejected by those He came to help and save. (John 1:9-11)
-Jesus felt grief.  (John 11:1-44)
-Jesus underwent extreme stress. (Luke 22:39-46)
-Jesus was betrayed and abandoned by His closest friends. (Matthew 26:30-56)
-Jesus was publicly humiliated. (Matthew 27:27-31)
-Jesus suffered excruciating pain.  (John 19)
-Jesus experienced spiritual isolation and the punishment of sin (our sin, not His own). (Matthew 27:45-55)

Jesus knows and has experienced the full weight of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual trauma.  That's why we can fully trust when Hebrews 4:15 states, "For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted knowing exactly how it feels to be human in every respect as we are, yet without committing any sin" (AMP). 

But, the beauty and power of this season is that it not only reminds us of the suffering of our Lord, but points us towards His glory.  For as Matthew 28:5-6, 8-9 reminds us, "But the angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay...' So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, 'Greetings!' And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him."

While our earthly scars point us backward to what we've experienced and overcome, Jesus's scars point us forward to what lies ahead for those who believe in Him. 

They give us the hope that this life, full of painful memories, physical struggles, and limitless scars, is temporary.  2 Corinthians 4:16-18 encourages, "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." 

We live in that tension of the here, but not yet fully realized kingdom.  Our earthly struggles have deeper purpose as they draw us nearer to our Savior and prune us to be more like Him.  However, our struggles also remind us that we long for the day of Revelation 21 when we will be fully healed and our scars will be no more.   We hope and grieve simultaneously. 

So, let's take a few minutes to breathe deeply as we reflect on our scars, the scars of our Savior, and the healing of the kingdom to come.  Bring your doubt, frustration, worship, gratitude, hope, and fear - let it all mix together.  Now close your eyes and envision yourself gently grasping the scars on Jesus's hands, his feet, his side. Scars that bring you life, healing, and wholeness.  I'm reminded of the "sinful woman" in Luke 7 who washed Jesus's feet with her tears and anointed them with expensive ointment. May our time with Jesus this Lenten season contain the same measure of humility, intimacy, sacrifice, and reverence, knowing that we will be met with mercy, healing, love, and fulfillment in return. 

Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

-Isaiah 53:4-6