Jesus Can Turn Scabs into Scars

There are a few key differences between a scab and a scar. Both cover old wounds, but scabs are temporary. They can be infected, and when bumped or scraped can open afresh, bringing some of the same pain as the original injury. Scars, on the other hand, are just visual reminders of pain long gone. Some of us are walking around with age-old scabs on the inside. We avoid situations that might hurt us again and lick our wounds in the dark instead of bringing them out into the light for our Savior to heal us completely. But Jesus can turn scabs into scars.

Wounds Cut Deep

Life is a dangerous business. There are things people have said to us (or haven’t said to us) or have done to us (or have not done for us) that have cut us deeply. Unlike physical wounds that can be fixed right up with a bandage and some antibiotic ointment, mental and emotional wounds can be hidden or repressed.  We can shove them down deep into ourselves and forget that they are there until another situation comes up to cause us the same pain again. In the meantime, they could be causing problems for us that we don’t even realize are attributed to deep, unhealed harm.

Scabs vs Scars

After a physical wound, a scab is a clump of blood cells that immediately form a protective covering. It’s our body’s natural reaction to stop the flow of blood and protect the area from germs while it heals. Sometimes scabs can get infected, inflamed, itch, or cause pus or pain. If the skin pulls the wrong way or is scraped, the scab can start to bleed again. Even though the wound might not be fresh, the area is still a problem.

Scars, on the other hand, are merely visual representations of the places where we have been hurt and then healed. They are made up of fibrous tissues that may have a different texture or quality than the surrounding skin, but they naturally fade over time. While some scars may be permanent, they are usually no longer painful. (Of course, in some cases, scars can bother people when injured nerves are stuck in the scar tissue, but most of the time, that’s not the case).

My Wound

My first husband and I started dating at 19 and were married at 21. Without going into too many cringy details, let’s just say that I had some rejection and abandonment issues from my childhood and was searching for someone to love me and take care of me. The man was attentive, called me “Princess,” and gave me the attention I craved. 

But we were young, and people change as they grow up. It wasn’t long after marriage that the sparkle wore off. I was still committed to “Happily ever after” no matter what, but he wasn’t reading the same fairy tale. After about 7 years of marriage, he said something to me that wounded me to the absolute core of my being. 

In excitement one day, I suggested that we get remarried on our 10^th anniversary. Without missing a beat, he scoffed and said, “I’ll never make that mistake again.” The happy, hopeful smile died on my face. I was crushed. It was like that carnival game where people slam the hammer down to see how strong they are, but he was pounding on the rejection already inside. Hopes of a healthy marriage and family were ground into dust. Then he said he was just kidding – but he wasn’t kidding, and we both knew it. Our marriage limped along for ten more years, and then it was done.

Jesus Healed My Wound

When Jesus came for me and saved me a few short years after my divorce, I will never forget the week that He healed that wound. I had pushed it down inside me for so long that I didn’t even realize that it was still there. Of course, I had gone through the steps of forgiving my ex-husband for everything. But this one situation was still a scab that I could forget about only as long as nothing bumped the area.

But the first thing Jesus did to heal me was rip the scab right off! He put me in the position of facing the situation again with my whole attention. The pain I felt was literally the same as the day it happened. I got alone with Jesus and wept for that broken little girl. Then I looked right into the face of the rejection and acknowledged the pain. I forgave the words, forgave the man, and set the rejection at Jesus’ feet. Then I leaned into my Lord. I felt His acceptance in the place of rejection and allowed Him to heal me. 

From that very week, my scab became a scar. I could look at what happened and see that it had hurt me in the past, but it was a faint white line where a painful red lump had been. 

3 Steps to Turn Scabs into Scars

If you are struggling with the same old hurt, negative emotions, or pain in one particular area, you might just have a scab of your own. Whether it’s rejection, abandonment, fear, feelings of inferiority, or condemnation about the past, Jesus can heal it for good.

Step 1: Acknowledge the Scab

First, you must bring the situation out into the open. Something may come to your mind immediately, or you may need to pray to ask Jesus to reveal any old wounds that haven’t been dealt with. An injury may be from last week or from decades ago. If it’s a “touchy subject,” chances are you have found a scab. The devil would love for you to keep things in the dark. These are places that he can come to poke again and again, stirring up pain and bad feelings and keeping you distracted from your potential use in God’s kingdom. But the antidote for dark has always been light.

Step 2: Rip the Scab Off

Now that you know what you’re dealing with, rip the scab completely off. That means getting alone with Jesus and – instead of hiding or repressing – fully face the situation again. Feel the pain of it, cry honest tears, and then ask Jesus to help you deal with it. Does someone need to be forgiven (a parent, sibling, child, friend, spouse, or yourself)? Is there a lie that you have been buying into that you need to come out of agreement with (you aren’t good enough, you’re unloveable, you will never amount to anything, you’re still the same wretch you were when Jesus found you)? Have you allowed what someone said to define you instead of what the Word of God says about you as a blood-bought child of God (loser, stupid, failure, flake)?

Step 3: Set Everything at Jesus’ Feet

Instead of hiding our pain, we must hide in Him. After all, Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Give the whole situation to Him, humbly acknowledging that you can’t do anything on your own. You need His help to heal.

Then allow Him to replace:

• Rejection with acceptance 
• Depression with hope
• Anger with forgiveness 
• Fear with peace
• Failure with victory 
• Lies with truth
• Pain with healing

Lean in. For me, that meant imagining that I was at His feet and physically nestling myself close. Just like bowing our heads for prayer shows reverence and raising our arms in worship displays adoration, we can do the same with submission. Whatever that looks like for you, use your whole body, soul, mind, and spirit to submit yourself to God for healing.

Then praise the Lord.

Press Forward to Victory in Jesus

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:13-14

The Bible tells us to forget the things that are behind us and reach toward the things that are ahead. But repressing isn’t the same as forgetting. Painful wounds are like angry red scabs. They will continue to fester and pain us again and again and can be used as a tool for the enemy to hurt us. Instead, we must identify them, face them, and deal with them. That will allow Jesus to heal us and turn our scabs to scars.

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