Bigger Scars Make Better Stories*
One of the reasons tattoos have become so popular is because they are entry points for storytelling by serving as evocative covers for our personal life magazines. While many of us feel uncomfortable asking strangers to share their life stories, it’s much easier when they have etched a symbolic welcome mat on their skin.
Scars, much like tattoos, serve as invitations to share memorable stories. The fact that Jesus retained His scars suggests we will also keep ours. They may be physical or emotional, but the beautiful thing about a scar is that it represents a healed hurt. For those in Hell, they will serve as painful reminders of life’s unfairness, but in Heaven, they will remind us of God’s power found in weakness. So, when we walk the streets of the New Jerusalem, and see each other’s scars, they won’t elicit pity; rather, they will evoke tales of redeemed suffering. In Heaven, we won’t be spirits sitting on clouds strumming harps, but resurrected bodies gathered around campfires sharing “scar”y stories.
*Title of a song by Search The City
God's Screenplay 