Scars & Wrinkles
When I was a little girl, I liked to snuggle up to Grandma "Noodles" Reynolds and hold her hand and I always squished together the skin on the back of her hands! Grandma's hands were soft but wrinkly and had some sun, and age spots as well. I would roll her wrinkly skin from the front to the back of her hand as she would just pat and hug me. Now, as I look down at my own hands they look very much like Grandma Noodles hands looked, wrinkly with some age and sun spots and even a few scars. I just said to my husband the other day how I two red sun spots on my ring finger and how ugly I thought they looked. As I sat and stared at my hands a flood of good memories of my Grandma Noodles washed over me. What a woman, and oh how I miss her!
Then Y'all I turned on the TV and saw an episode of "Botched!" What, are some folks even thinking? I know people get plastic surgery for one reason or another and I am not judging at all. All I can say after seeing that show is, "Wow!" And I will just leave it right there! I know we live in a world that is all about looks, youth, beauty, and even vanity. Especially us ladies we worry ourselves crazy about how we look, trying every fad diet to be thin, using everything from hemorrhoid cream to beeswax to reduce wrinkles. I personally do not know my natural hair color anymore (other than it would be gray if it weren't for Nice N' Easy.) We squeeze ourselves into Spanx to control cellulite, Control top pantyhose to control the muffin top, most of my wardrobe is black because "black is slimming!) Now hear me, girlfriend, I am not saying any of this is wrong, we all do these beauty routines to one extent or another. I just want us to think about a couple of things when we look in the mirror and see the scars and wrinkles before we begin to try and cover them all up.
First, we all have scars, some are visible some are not, some are physical some are emotional. Maybe they are scars from surgery, an accident, a burn or cut or perhaps your heart has been broken so many times you wonder how it still beats. Ladies as time marches on we cannot stop the lines you know the laugh lines the worry lines, and the how am I holding all this together lines from appearing on our faces. We won't even mention the lines from carrying a baby in our bodies for 9 months left behind all over our bodies! I call these experience lines, I think we have all earned each and every one! Take a look at your self in the mirror, you are beautiful, yes, you are beautiful! Every line, every scar, every wrinkle, every sunspot, age spot, all of the emotional scars, this is all that makes you uniquely you. Uniquely beautifully you!
Jesus had scars as well. The Bible tells us in Mark the 14th chapter this is paraphrased, that they arrested Jesus, some spit on Him and struck Him and the guards received Him with blows. Later in chapter 15, the soldiers led Him away where they put a purple robe on Him and saluted mocking Him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and they struck Him on His head with a reed, they put a crown of thorns on His head. Later, they nailed Him to a cross, huge nails in His hands and in His feet. They then took a huge spear and speared Him in His side. Scars, physical and emotional, yes I know Jesus is the King of the World but Y'all, He didn't do anything wrong remember, He was betrayed by friends and family and He did all that for us. Isaiah 53:5 says, "He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him and by his wounds, we are healed."
One very interesting thing is Jesus appeared to His followers after rising from the dead, in the gospel of John 20:19-20 "On the evening of that day, the first day of the week the doors being locked where the disciples were in fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord." So, first of all, Jesus could have made the scars go away, He could have made His body perfect again, but He didn't. He showed the scars to the disciples and said it's me, it's Jesus, the one who died for you, the one who had the nails driven in my hands and feet. He even had Thomas touch the scars on his hands and his side.
Now, I am not sure why Jesus kept the scars, I mean He has all authority to do whatever He wants to do. I know the Bible speaks of a glorified body when we get to heaven, now I have no idea what that means, I am certain it is nothing like what is on the cover of any magazine on earth. (As much as I have day-dreamed about a flat tummy and cellulite-free thighs while eating heavenly calorie-free chocolate cake while floating on a cloud, I am pretty sure that's just a dream!) But seriously Y'all, I believe Jesus kept His scars to say to us, I know life is hard, I know you are getting beat up, you have scars and wrinkles but by my scars by my wounds you are healed. Because of His scars, we have a future and a hope. Lamentations 3:24 says, "The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I hope in HIm!"
Ladies, do not despise your scars and wrinkles, instead look at them and think of Jesus and what His scars have given you. And who knows maybe you will have a grandchild that will snuggle up to you and play with the loose wrinkly skin on your hands! Indeed, I can think nothing that would make my heart happier!
Thank you, Jesus, for enduring the beatings, the humiliation, the betrayal and ultimately death on the cross for us. Thank you that by your scars, by your wounds we are healed. Help us to love ourselves, scars, wrinkles and all. Help us as women to be kind to other women, encouraging each other in love.