Dcn Anne Strong

Hello my Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I have been contemplating all types of scars, realizing that I have spent decades attempting to cover mine up. There are physical scars and emotional ones. Who is not grateful for concealer?? This aids in the invisibility of my physical scars which I “earned” from horseback riding, bike riding, an appendectomy, and an overactive puppy. (I can feel those sharp baby teeth nips.)

My emotional scars are more difficult to hide, but I try: exercise, prayer, wine, prescription medicines, counseling…while in prayer, my thoughts center on Jesus. Aha, Jesus had many scars: “Feel my side, touch my hands.” Do you know that in American Sign Language (ASL) Jesus is identified by pointing to the holes in his hands? I find it comforting that in the resurrection, Jesus’ scars were there; in fact, Jesus used them as proof of his identity.

I will never be somebody who was not an emotionally abused child. These scars may be managed but they never leave. We carry them with us in some form or other. As people of the resurrection, the scars aren’t optional BUT the shame is!

The things which happened to Jesus’ body: violence, flogging, rejection and crucifixion…remained even after Jesus defeated death and rose from the grave. Jesus still bore the marks of pain, BUT this pain was not what defined him. Please remember that God chose to reveal God’s self in Jesus AND included Jesus’ wounds.

One of my main points is this: don’t believe in the paintings of the resurrection—radiant as if nothing had happened. If you do think of resurrection as perfection and therefore out of reach OR the absence of pain or failure, reframing is in order.

Our scars and sorrows will always be PART of our mosaic, but they will never be our conclusion. Even when you feel trapped in your pain, trapped in your past, trapped in your own story like it is itself a tomb, be assured…there is NO stone that God cannot roll away.

With Christ’s love,

Dcn Anne+