We All Have Scars

Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. – Proverbs 4:25-26 
 
If we want to experience true healing from our past pain and suffering, we must be willing to confront the brokenness of our lives with a sense of courage and a willingness to go through the process of change.  
 
Now I know what you’re saying. You’re saying, “you don’t know the extent of what I’ve been through. You don’t know what it was like to have parents who did not show you the love you deserved. You don’t know what it was like to be teased or talked about because of the way you look. You don’t know what it’s like to fail at seemingly everything you try to do—every job, every relationship, every goal, etc. So if I’m constantly looking back and referring back to what happened in my past, there’s a reason. I’ve still got some scars.”  
 
Well I understand that, but we all have scars. Ian Maclaren was a minister of the Free Church of Scotland during the 19th century who instructed members of his congregation, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” Maclaren’s words are so powerful because they are so true. We are all broken and in search of wholeness. We are all in the healing process. And we all must learn to show each other grace, to be patient with each other, to encourage each other, and to point each other to the Lord if we want to experience the healing from our past that only God can give.  
 
It’s easy to make excuses, but it’s hard work to bypass the excuses in order to pursue wholeness in Christ. My encouragement to you is that you wouldn’t allow the pain of your past to hold you back, but rather you would put the excuses on the shelf, and that you would pursue healing. And in doing so, I pray that you will be gracious and encouraging to those around you as they pursue healing as well.