“As painful as they may be in their acquisition, some scars do have lasting benefits.”

As we trudged along our selected span of the Ozark Trail, we came upon a ridge-line setting that triggered every visual stimulation  our Louisiana flat-land eyes contained. Distant mountain peaks separated from our location by a deep valley filled with the rushing waters of a twisting and winding river beckoned a break and picture taking session. When our visual appetites  and camera rolls were satisfied, we departed from that overlook turning directly into the densely forested hillside. Immediately, the picturesque view from a moment ago turned strikingly different. Once-tall, towering trees found themselves uprooted and lying on the mountain floor or snapped off halfway up and flung to parts unknown. The picture above captured my attention as I couldn’t stop considering how the little tree was still standing but scarred by the fall of its bigger sidekick…how often – for reasons too many to number – life’s scars are left upon us to bear.

The most obvious of the scar varieties we humans are forced to bear are those of a physical nature. Some of these we wear as a badge of honor in our boasts of battles survived and close calls conquered! I can just hear the scarred tree from the photo bragging to his forest com-padres in the future, “Yeah, this is the scar I got from the big Twister back in 2020. It almost knocked Big Jim down upon me, but I survived by the skin of my bark!” In my own life, the various physical scars I bear tell a story of my life from childhood through the present. The big “J” shaped scar on my lower right leg – that one is forever etched into my body as a constant reminder of both the calling God has on my life and the protection He can provide in the most dire of circumstances. Whatever memories are conjured up in our minds as we peruse our trophy case of scars, let us remember that throughout eternity, we will be reminded of the greatest love ever shown to lowly human beings by the scars on the body of the Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 5:6). As painful as they may be in their acquisition, some scars do have lasting benefits.

Of course not all scars are of the physical sort. Many of the wounds we experience are not on the exterior to be noticed by others but inward in nature, scarring a part of our being that is concealed and known only to ourselves, God, and whomever we choose to reveal it. These are, by far, the most dangerous kinds of scars when we consider our ability to live a joyful and productive life in service to the Lord. Life happens…hurts are incurred…we do wrong and are done wrong…and the story continues. Perhaps these lines are familiar to you: I’ll never forgive him for that!…It’ll be a cold day in the bad place before I talk to her again…How could they just walk away from our relationship like that?…Why God, Why? Nobody else sees these scars, because they are wounds of the heart. Perhaps that’s one reason why scripture tells us emphatically that above anything else, we are to guard our hearts (Proverbs 4:23). Indeed it is in those hidden vaults of our soul that the invisible enemies of bitterness and unforgiveness can eat away at our joy and contentment. Friends, let us deal with these scars in the only fashion that is truly liberating – the Biblical way which calls us to swap these actions out for kindness and forgiveness through Christ’s love. (Ephesians 4:30-32). Easy? No. Necessary? Yes. If not, these inward scars have a way of mutating into a cancerous enemy that destroys us from the inside out. Scars…Gotta love ’em!

That day on the mountain and the brief interaction with the “Little Tree That Could” caused me to ponder a profound reality. Yes – I am a scarred human being – both without and within…but I’m still standing! And if your eyes have made it this far in today’s reading, congratulations! You’re still standing too! So whether on a mountain hike or a river float or somewhere in-between, maybe limping along or perhaps completely healed – scars and all – I’ll see you…in the Great Outdoors!