See His Hands

Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" John 20:27-28

My knees are covered with scars from wiping out on our dirt road when I first learned to ride my bike. I have a scar on my hip where my appendix used to be. And I have four different sets of stretch marks, one from each of my children.

Scars are something that we usually try to keep hidden, and that modern medicine and our own vanity tell us can and should be removed. Use the right cream or just enough cover up, a nip here and a tuck there, and it’s like the incident never happened.

But our scars tell stories. Yes, sometimes they are stories of stupidity; lessons learned the hard way. More often though they tell stories of courage, of sacrifice for others and of God’s healing power.

Jesus has scars too. They are on his head, his back, his hands, feet and side. They tell an awesome story. A story of our God so loving and compassionate, so willing to hang onto us forever that he sacrificed own Son; giving him over to be scarred in a way that I can barely imagine.

Christ’s scars are many, and they are not hidden. He showed them to Thomas and the other disciples as proof that he was the risen Christ, and he shows them daily to our Heavenly Father as proof of our redemption.

I probably won’t show you the scars on my belly, but I don’t want to have them erased either. They bear witness to new life, created by God. Life that I got to care for and continue to watch grow in a way that no other person will ever experience. My scars tell the story of God’s faithfulness and creativity. They have marked me as my children’s mother just as Christ’s scars have marked me as God’s child.

Praise the Lord that His scars are the ones of true courage, sacrifice for others and God’s healing power. See his hands. Place your hand in his side. Do not disbelieve, but believe. Jesus’ love for you cannot be removed!

My Lord and my God,

I am humbled by the sacrifice of your Son for me. Forgive me when I try to cover up the scars Jesus bore for me with my own selfish acts. Thank you for seeing me through his redeeming life, death and resurrection.

In Jesus Name Alone, Amen.