What can Jesus' scars tell us about our own healing?

When it comes to healing, we often strive to get back to the place we were in before the trauma happened. For those who have carried the weight of emotional or physical pain for years, the dream is often a "blank slate"—a version of ourselves where the struggle is simply gone.

I often find myself reflecting on the hope that one day, our bodies and minds will be made completely new, and the weight of these 'scars' will finally lift.

But then I remember Easter. 

After Jesus rose, He didn't return with the flawless skin of a man who had never suffered. His scars were still there. Reflecting on this changed how I viewed my own healing.

 It was Jesus' scars that allowed Thomas to truly see Him:

"Peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands.'" — John 20:26-27

In the midst of Thomas’ doubt, he didn't need a polished version of Jesus; he needed to touch the evidence of what Jesus had survived.

When those wounds were fresh, touching them would have been agonising. But in the Resurrection, those wounds were healed. They were still visible, still tangible, but they no longer caused pain. Healing for Jesus didn't mean deleting His history. It meant that His scars became a part of His story that He could share with others without being destroyed by them.

If you are struggling with scars that still feel "fresh" and painful to the touch today,  know that healing is possible, but not always in the way that we expect. 

The goal of healing isn't always to make the marks disappear. Sometimes, the miracle is reaching a place where those scars are simply part of your history—markers of a battle survived that can eventually be touched, spoken of, or shared without re-igniting the old pain.

You are a person with a history, and like the Risen Christ, your scars do not disqualify you from being whole.

Wishing you a peaceful Easter,

Beth at Join the Dots