By Ariane Williams

Can you determine the value of your scars? How do you categorize your scars? Are your scars physical, spiritual or mental?

Sixteen years ago, I had a minor surgery for what could have been a major problem in the future. I remember checking in at the hospital, getting prepared for surgery, falling asleep and being released from the hospital. Somehow, I do not remember the “in-between.” Somewhere in between arriving to the hospital and being released from the hospital, I claimed two small incisions that became “scars.”

Can you remember your “in-between,” or are you focusing just on the injury?

Once, I forgot about the fact that I had received that surgery. I looked at my body; I saw two incisions; I thought those two incisions were new. I was getting ready to have a meltdown when I realized that I had forgotten about the value of my scars. I took two fingers to feel the scars. Up. Down. Side to side. I needed to remember again. There was no pain, but the scars of the past were there. How could I have forgotten about those scars? It was a minor surgery for what could have been a major problem in the future. God flipped that thing and made what was major minor; He minimized my pain as it disappeared. He minimized my wound until it healed. He allowed me to forget the intense pain of the “in-between” but gave me a scar that has now become my testimony.

There is value in your scars, so do not discount them. A physical scar is an area of fibrous tissue that replaces normal skin after an injury. A spiritual scar is an area in your heart that has been bruised that needs healing.

Even though you have a scar, that doesn’t mean that you have to continue to hold on to the injury. God will minimize your pain and take away your “in-between.” That is why you do not remember anything when you go into surgery. Not only are you under a physical anesthesia, you are under a spiritual anointing and covering. People become afraid to re-examine their scars, because they think that they are going to reconnect to their injuries of the past. Stand bold and reveal your scars, because your scars become healing for someone else’s wounds.

So many people are taught to hide and live behind their scars. The scar is there, but it is only a reflection of what was and not what is. My scars are valuable to me, because they show me my strength. My scars are valuable to me, because they show me my fight. My scars are valuable to me, because they show me that I conquered. My scars are valuable to me, because they have become my medals.

Can you locate one scar on your body? Close your eyes. Feel it. What do you remember about that scar? Deal with what’s underneath the surface of that scar. Although there may be an unwanted memory attached to that scar, you must remember that you are not the victim and that you do not own that injury. You were protected from the “in-between.” Even though we have scars from the past, we can still have open, deep, stabbing wounds. There is a way to close your wound after it has been opened for so many years.

Remember that there is value in your scars. Remember that you are healing. Go back and conquer your injury and watch those open wounds close. There is value in your scars. People may not recognize your value, because they don’t know your worth, but He knows your worth. You have the scars to prove it.

Ariane Williams is a teacher, minister, published author, and liturgical dancer. Email her at arianewilliams810@yahoo.com.