The Scar

This picture is of Tyler after his first football game a couple weeks ago. First play of the game he was running and turned around to catch a pass that caught his face instead. His glasses went flying but not without cutting above his eye. I did not see this accident as I was home at the time, but saw the blood dripping when he got home.

I ran to the store for butterfly bandages and antibiotic cream. I kept saying, "it needs stitches" but was assured by the men in the house that it was just fine. Tyler kept asking me if it would scar. I let him know it was possible because he did not get stitches. He kept saying, "Good, I want it to and can you please take my picture". I think he asked me that every day for the next couple of days as it heals.

I finally asked him why he wanted a scar. He told me that if he had a scar, people would know that he was tough. He wanted that.

I got to thinking, as usually there is a lesson in there for me somewhere. Why do we not want people to know that we have been through tough situations? We tend to be afraid of the scar that might be left after a tragedy or hardship in our lives. We don't want to be reminded of what we have been through. We would do anything to leave that in the past and never think about it again.

But....what if we had the attitude of Tyler? What if we were proud that we were able to go through that hardship and heal? What if we were willing to let others notice the scar and ask, "What happened?" And what if we were willing to tell them that we were hurt, but God gave us the ability to heal? I have thought about this and decided that Tyler had the right attitude all along. Although, it might have been selfish in nature, there is a deep spiritual truth in that statement, " I want everyone to know that I am tough"

Deuteronomy 32:39

"Look now; I myself am he!
There is no other god but me!
I am the one who kills and gives life;
I am the one who wounds and heals;
no one can be rescued from my powerful hand!"