In our previous chapter on forgiveness we wrote about how forgiveness removes our sins, and thus heals our wounds. However we have learned that our wounds are not truly removed but rather they are converted from scabs to scars. It is interesting to note that even Jesus kept His scars. John 20:27 (Amplified Version) says, "Then He said to Thomas, Reach out your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand and place [it] in My side. Do not be faithless and incredulous, but [stop your unbelief and] believe!"
Scabs are the covering over of a wound with dried blood. They can be easily opened again when picked at. Scars are the evidence where a wound once was, but is no longer subject to pain. Scars do not relay pain when touched.
Quoted from Inner Healing, by Dunklin [1]
Romans 12:2 says, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
In regard to renewing the mind, we have had many opportunities during this study to forgive everyone who has caused us harm during our lifetime. This is a giant step in the process of renewal. Now it is time to see how well we have done in the area of forgiveness.
Perhaps we have been told that unless we are able to forget, we really haven't forgiven, but that is simply untrue.
For example, everyone probably has scars that have healed. We all have scars we can point to. We experienced some sort of physical mishap, which caused an abrasion in our skin. It probably bled for a while, and then it scabbed over. Finally, it healed.
After it healed, it became a scar. Now, as we relive that experience, we can still remember it well, but we do not feel any of the hurt. We can remember it and point to it, but we no longer feel the pain.
Is such a thing possible emotionally as well as physically? Is it possible that we might be able to remember a past hurt, yet not feel the hurt in the present? It is time for us to understand that although we have been hurt inside, and we have suffered because of the emotional things that have happened to us, it isn't necessary for us to forget those things. Forgetting is not necessarily a part of the healing process.
As a matter of fact, Jesus Christ would have us not forget those things. He wants to heal our hurts and let them become scars, which we can point to for His glory. There is nothing wrong in having a scar. As a matter of fact, a scar can be a plus. We need to get beyond the scars and begin thinking about how Jesus is going to lead us from this point onward. We can look at the incidents in our lives that hurt us, allow Jesus to heal the hurts, then use those incidents to His glory.
It is important for us to discover our purpose in life. It may never have occurred to us that one of the purposes in our lives is to utilize the scars in our lives to His glory. Imagine what it would be like to be able to point to an emotional scar and tell a hurting person, I know what you are going through, because I have experienced that hurt. That happened to me also.
But look here, it has healed. I can tell you the details, I can tell you everything that happened, I can remember word for word what happened. But you see, I don't feel the pain any more, because it is healed. God healed it in me; therefore, He can heal it in you."
Every one of us has at least one incident, and some of us have many incidents in our lives, which have been traumatic to us. We now have a choice while we are in this program. Our choice is, if our hurt has not been healed yet, what are we going to do about it?
There is one sure way in which we can tell whether or not we have forgiven someone: When we talk about it, when we share it, are we picking at a scab, or are we pointing at a scar? We can pick at the scab, and it will never heal. We can continue to pick at the scab, and continue, and continue, and it will continue to bleed, and continue to hurt, and continue to fester, and continue to poison us.
We may even deliberately pick at it to make it bleed some more. We may even want to feel the pain again. It may have become a way for us to manipulate others, or to receive sympathy from someone.
The alternative is to give the hurt to God and allow Him to heal it. We can let it become a scar, so we will be able to point to it, and say, God healed this. I know what you're going through, I went through the same thing. But God healed it. Let me tell you about it, because He can heal you, too."
It becomes obvious that we have to begin to think beyond where we are this moment. We have to think beyond the suffering we may be feeling right now. We can get ourselves beyond that, because God has another purpose for us.
We have to move into a scar status in order to reach the fulfillment of God's plan, because the scabs will stand in our way to God's purpose. The reason is that the scabs will always influence our responses and our reactions to everything that occurs in our lives. So long as our wounds are still bleeding, so long as we are still picking at them, subconsciously they have an effect upon our response to everything that is said to us. Every situation that occurs in our lives will be filtered through our emotional scabs, until those scabs have been healed.
Think about it. What if every day we would keep knocking or picking those scabs loose, and we would be bleeding all over everything? Wouldn't that be a mess? That would be our condition if we had not pressed into forgiveness for all the issues in our lives. When we allow it to scar over this brings healing and wholeness. The only way to overcome the world is to overcome the world in ourselves. However we can't forget about the bondage that God has rescued us from. Forgetting is not part of our healing. By continuing the lifestyle of inner healing we not only establish our own success but we begin assisting others. Christ's definition of success- in addition to forgiveness and freedom is to give the life that we have freely received away to others.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."
A testimony.
In the previous chapter about forgiveness, I gave a short testimony about agonizing with the Lord about some difficult forgiveness issues. I now have victory over those difficult issues, however I have not forgotten them. To my surprise, now when I remember those people and those incidents, I actually praise God for the experiences. I see now how these painful experiences not only helped to develop character in my life, but also helped to thrust me into the perfect path and will of God for my life. Therefore, now when I recall those painful times when people hurt me, there is no more pain. I actually thank God for them because they have helped me so much. They are scars. I now have a very close and sweet relationship with that individual who I had trouble forgiving. They have actually worked for my advantage; just as the scars on Jesus worked out God's perfect will for you and for me.
Scabs and scars are also caused by difficult life circumstances.
Whether or not you have decided to live under the Lordship of Jesus, you will inevitably encounter difficult, if not seemly impossible, challenges in your life. It may be financial, relational, health, marriage, or some other issue. The reasons for this are many and varied. Hopefully these types of difficulties bring us into a more dependent relationship with the Lord, and through spiritual warfare, brings God's purposes and promises into our lives. They tend to burn off our old flesh nature and mature us into the image of Christ.
How we respond to these difficulties has a great affect on our lives. Some get mad at God for allowing them to happen. Some blame other people or even institutions for their hard times. For example, many people blame their national governments for their financial difficulties. People can blame others for marriage breakups, for children rebelling, and other such things.
Blame will keep you in bondage and will cause wounds to occur which remain as scabs. There is really no one to forgive; therefore it is difficult to become free. Oddly enough, even a perceived wrong can cause a wound. In God's eyes it does not matter who is responsible. He desires to show His power working through you to overcome without blame.
There are three ways we can emerge from trials and sufferings. We can have a hard heart, one that just wants nothing more to do with walking with the Lord. We can develop a broken heart, one that always carries the victim mentality and never gets healed. Being a victim for life is satisfying to many people. Or we can develop a tender heart. A tender heart has been worked over by circumstances and the Lord, and has emerged with faith in turning all difficulties into blessings.
The solution is to make sure that your relationship with the Lord is alive, current and in good condition. If you are in touch with Him through the Holy Spirit, then He will walk you through life's difficulties with promise.
He will show you how to walk with the overcoming lifestyle. That includes:
1. Maintaining your relationship skills and staying in living touch with God.
2. Hearing Him speak to you about your current situation.
3. Hearing Him speak to you about who you are in Him; your identity.
4. Walking in the Spirit, which includes "repenting your way through life."
5. Maintain your spiritual warfare stance against the demonic forces in your realm of influence.
Pain can be profitable.
I can honestly say that I am now very thankful for every one of my many and severe trials. I can see the profit from them. Through them God's promises have been brought into my life. These promises have resulted in supernatural blessings that would not have been possible without the suffering.
The mystery of the Cross!
God does not delete our past memories. He heals them through forgiveness. Why? So that we can point to them and show His glory. What glory? The wonderful miracle working work of His Cross and resurrection. Crucifying Jesus on the Cross was the most horrible crime that ever occurred against a human being. It was the most unjustified act against an innocent person. However, look how it turned into a powerful tool through forgiveness. Jesus does not forget the Cross, but now when He thinks back on it, He sees its value. Without that horrible act perpetrated against Him and His miraculous resurrection, you and I would not be saved today.
Colossians 1:20 says, "and by Him to reconcile [makes friends of] all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross." What a wonderful thought! All things, no matter how horrible, are made a friend through the Cross of Jesus.
Romans 16:25 says, "Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began."
Eleanor Roosevelt said, "You are no one's victim without your permission." That wasn't true when we were children, but it is true now. We no longer have to be the victims we were as children, unless we give those wounds permission, unless we insist upon picking at the scabs.
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[1] Copyright * 1992 by Dunklin Memorial Church – Used by permission ISOB