Scars and wrinkles
When I was younger, I thought it was quite humorous how much effort women put into coloring their hair to cover gray and also the amount of money they spent on wrinkle creams, cosmetic surgeries and other things to keep from looking old beyond their years.
When I turned 28, I found my first gray hair, sprouting from the top front of my head near my face. It had been a rough couple of years, but I was blown away by this hair that was betraying me!
But I had vowed years before that I would grow old gracefully and not color to cover gray hair.
Recently, I have been dismayed by my acne scars and new wrinkles around my mouth. The acne scars are heartbreaking because I know if I had just listened and not picked at my breakouts, I wouldn't have them now. But even more heartbreaking are the wrinkles around my mouth. And that is because they are from years of smoking cigarettes.
So I started thinking about scars and wrinkles.
My son had a bone graft procedure several years ago to repair his hard palate. They made an incision in his hip to take bone out and graft it into his mouth. He has long since healed completely, and yet, he still has a scar where they made the incision.
And I wondered, since I know how mighty, how wonderful, how powerful God is, why He heals us but leaves a visible scar? And it made sense all of a sudden. Scars aren't a curse but a reminder of the blessing of healing! It's a reminder of past pain and current healing. What an amazingly wise thing to do, leaving us a visible reminder of His great ability to heal all things!
Then, my mind wandered to contemplate wrinkles, like the ones around my mouth, the ones that will someday flank my face, hands, and neck. Why does God allow our skin to sag and wrinkle? And I realized that wrinkles are a reminder of a long full life. And I know that when I die, I want to be gray and wrinkled, because I know that then I will know that I was blessed with a long life; I want scars because then I will know I've been healed.
So I think I'm going to embrace my gray hairs, stop trying to hide my scars, and remember my deliverance from smoking each time I see the wrinkles around my lips. These are blessings from my life, not curses!
When I turned 28, I found my first gray hair, sprouting from the top front of my head near my face. It had been a rough couple of years, but I was blown away by this hair that was betraying me!
But I had vowed years before that I would grow old gracefully and not color to cover gray hair.
Recently, I have been dismayed by my acne scars and new wrinkles around my mouth. The acne scars are heartbreaking because I know if I had just listened and not picked at my breakouts, I wouldn't have them now. But even more heartbreaking are the wrinkles around my mouth. And that is because they are from years of smoking cigarettes.
So I started thinking about scars and wrinkles.
My son had a bone graft procedure several years ago to repair his hard palate. They made an incision in his hip to take bone out and graft it into his mouth. He has long since healed completely, and yet, he still has a scar where they made the incision.
And I wondered, since I know how mighty, how wonderful, how powerful God is, why He heals us but leaves a visible scar? And it made sense all of a sudden. Scars aren't a curse but a reminder of the blessing of healing! It's a reminder of past pain and current healing. What an amazingly wise thing to do, leaving us a visible reminder of His great ability to heal all things!
Then, my mind wandered to contemplate wrinkles, like the ones around my mouth, the ones that will someday flank my face, hands, and neck. Why does God allow our skin to sag and wrinkle? And I realized that wrinkles are a reminder of a long full life. And I know that when I die, I want to be gray and wrinkled, because I know that then I will know that I was blessed with a long life; I want scars because then I will know I've been healed.
So I think I'm going to embrace my gray hairs, stop trying to hide my scars, and remember my deliverance from smoking each time I see the wrinkles around my lips. These are blessings from my life, not curses!
Comments
You might be interested in the song my Micheal Card called "Known by the Scars." Card's idea is that Jesus will still have scars in his hands, feet, and side when we see him (and when he walked on earth). Remember how his disciples recognized him because of the scars? So the scars are a reminder of his salvation for us and stay part of his body too.
Eunice Lehmacher