“We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost. We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong, on him, on him.“—Isaiah 53:6 (MSG)
What story would your body tell if it could talk? What are the battle wounds? What scars tell of your triumph? What did your broken bones teach you? What about that limp or the loss of your hearing or one of your other four senses?
Do you have any tatts? What is the story behind each one? Was it to commemorate a life event, a memorial to a loved one, or to display a strongly-held belief? Do you still share those strong feelings as much as the day you chose that specific tatt? How so? Do you regret any of them? Why?
I got my first tatt when I was 53 years old. I had it put on my right forearm in line with but four inches south of my thumb. I put it there because when I’m typing or writing I can see it. It says His Beloved. The “o” in Beloved is a heart. My blog posts are an offering to the Lord and, in doing so, I wanted to remember that my words are for the hearts of His Beloved—each one of you who read my blog.
What about scars—how many do you have? What stories are behind each one? Did they originate because of trauma? If so, have you worked through that or is it a genuine concern for you today? Are your scars at your own hand or someone else’s?
Any body piercings? What was the purpose or the reason behind those choices? Have they served you well? Have they brought freedom to your life? If so, in what way?
I have a couple of scars. One is from a lumpectomy. My mother is a breast cancer survivor. She was considered young when she found her lump. Being in her mid-30’s, she had to be aggressive with her doctors in order for them to go beyond a mammogram. They put her off several times because her discovery was at a time when it was rare to hear of people having cancer before age 50. Thankfully, she pushed until they did the lumpectomy/testing and discovered cancer.
I detected two lumps. The biopsy was inconclusive, so I opted to have the lumps removed rather than wait to see if anything developed. They actually found three lumps, removed them all, and I received the conclusive result that all were benign. That scar tells of my mother’s courage to speak up, answered prayer for her total recovery, and God’s faithfulness as I walked out my experience from finding the lump to final diagnosis of non-cancer.
Thy physical body tells a story that all can see if they take an interest, but there are other parts that can go undetected to even the most observant eye. Have you ever known someone who smiles all the time? Though people love them and only have good things to say about them, they may be full of dread and anxiety that is eating away at them. They’re skilled at putting on a great front for everyone, but they’re slowly dying inside.
The enemy works in silence planting dark thoughts in our minds with the hope of destroying our future, our relationships, and—quite frankly—everything about us. He’ll try his very best to dig deeper into past hurts, abuse, offense, trauma, and rejection. He knows these things happen to every single human being, so it’s not very hard to convince us that we’re unworthy or stupid. He’ll try to fill us with shame, guilt, and condemnation.
Satan always gets our attention with a tiny bit of truth, so whatever he’s accusing you of may have a bit of truth to it. But never—ever—forget: There is One who chose a shameful, horrible death that He knew would leave scars on His hands and feet from huge nails, and on His side from a spear. In those scars is your name, forever tatted in His skin.
His pierced skin, scars more permanent than a tattoo, is the revealed evidence of the lengths to which He would go so that nothing, absolutely nothing, would keep you from Him. Not anything you’re guilty of, accused of, gossiped about, done to you, done by you–nothing will keep Him from you if you continue to turn to Him, seek Him, confess your sins, and give Him your pain and your heart.
He deliberately chose His scars to show you He has the power and authority to heal yours. He didn’t hide in the dark for such a shameful death. He was crucified in daylight and, in doing so, brought all the sins and darkness that man is capable of into the light.
The simplicity of being renewed and refreshed each day is to seek Him in all things and choose Him in every phase, situation, mistake, pain, etc., of your life. Give Him your struggle, your fears, and your pain. He is trustworthy right down to every drop of His blood.
NOW LIVE LOVED and THRIVE!
These questions are in no way a substitute for healthcare professionals or any level of professional counseling. I’m an advocate for taking care of oneself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. These questions reflect my heart, NOT my profession.
This questionnaire is an opportunity to journal your thoughts and feelings. It can serve as a launching pad on which to evaluate your heart condition as you understand it. My hope is that you will take what you discover and hold it up to the Light to evaluate it against who God says you are.
- What marks did you choose to have on your body? Why?
- Do your scars remind you of traumas in your life? What kind? How, if at all, do they still affect you?
- Do you wish you could remove any marks or physical limitations on/to your body? Why?
- With regard to your piercings/tattoos/scars, is there anything about them that you feel moved to confess and repent for?
- How do you feel when you think about the scars Jesus took on His body for you?
Use God’s word to take control over traumas in your life. Whenever you feel terrorized by your thoughts, take them captive by replacing them with the truth of God’s promises found in His word.
Print, then cut and carry this Scripture with you and/or post it in places where you will see it often. Ground yourself in God’s truths not Satan’s attacks. Encourage your heart and mind every time you are reminded of His great love for YOU!
Here is what God’s word says to encourage you and to give you an example of His unfailing, relentless, unending love for you:
“We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost. We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong, on him, on him.“ Isiah 53:6 (MSG)
Read God’s word and say to yourself: I often get lost as I wander around constantly looking for things I want or need. But it doesn’t matter how many times I am unfaithful to Him because in His long suffering, fierce love He will always be faithful to me. What Christ did on the cross was the final payment for any sin I have done or am yet to do. I will never be able to out sin God’s love for me.
Now LIVE LOVED and THRIVE!
