When we’re in a difficult season of life or reflecting back on a hard time, we wonder, “Is there purpose in my pain?” This devotional reminds us that our scars tell a story—and that God can use even our deepest pain for good.Baker Publishing
Day 1
God’s Tenderness
Scripture: Isaiah 61:3; Ephesians 6:12; Revelation 12:11
I don’t know what variety of pain you’re walking through or have recently survived, but I want you to know this: God doesn’t waste our pain. You may have scars in the form of loss, grief, shame, guilt, or regret to show for the battles you fought, but each one of your scars tells an important story and helps create the narrative of who you are. And each one is sacred.
Your scars may not be physical scars that can be seen by the eye but scars that can be perceived and understood only through the wisdom and experience of a fellow sufferer. Some scars may be known only by God. But God doesn’t treat your scars lightly. He shapes them and shapes you in the process. You are braver, stronger, more tenacious, more resilient, and more beautiful for them. Your scars are valuable, as are the stories they tell.
Scars signify that we’ve endured a battle and survived. From Scripture, we know the source of our battles: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).
The enemy of our soul is the source of pain, adversity, temptation, deception, and shame. God never created us to live a life of sin, pain, or adversity, but he will see us through it, teach us from it, and bring good out of it.
The enemy attempts to silence us because he knows the great impact of our testimonies. “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11). We serve a God who promises “to comfort all who mourn…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” (Isaiah 61:3).
Even in your pain today, remember that scars are often the platform of preparation God uses to draw us to himself, to highlight new facets of his character for us to experience, and to powerfully demonstrate the tenderness with which he holds us.
Lord, it’s hard to believe right now that you can bring beauty from these ashes. Help me to see how my scars can draw me closer to you. Amen.
Day 2
Waiting for Morning
Scripture: Psalm 30:5; Ecclesiastes 3:11; Isaiah 43:19
Decades ago, I enjoyed doing counted cross-stitch in my spare time. Our home was filled with pictures, towels, boxes, Christmas stockings, and jewelry made from my carefully stitched canvases. During the process of creating, I tended to focus on the ugliness of the backside where all my colored threads started, stopped, intertwined, and knotted together. But once the project was completed and it could be seen as the work of art it was, the back no longer begged for my attention because the completed work was all that mattered.
The same is true of our lives. During our trials, we tend to focus on the pain. But ultimately, our scars represent the merciful healing of a good God who makes “all things new” in his own way and in his perfect time. (See Ecclesiastes 3:11 and Isaiah 43:19.)
While we tend to see the ugly, knotted mass of our pain and suffering, and the physical, emotional, relational, or spiritual fallout, Jesus sees the beautiful tapestry created by the highs and the lows, the good and the bad, of our lives.
Are you feeling especially weary today? Have you played by the rules, taken the high road, sacrificed, prayed, believed, hoped, and worked but still feel like resolution eludes you? Maybe you know “joy comes in the morning,” as the psalmist promises (Psalm 30:5), but your night has grown dark and long, and it hasn’t felt like morning in a long time.
My friend, our scars are not a bad thing! Scars signify a battle has occurred. As he does his healing work in our lives, Jesus is glorified in and through our scars since we reflect more of him because of our suffering. And if you can hold on to the lessons and stories your sacred scars tell, you will see God’s redemptive hand in them, an incredible work of art that only traveling through pain can bring.
Father, I am still processing and healing. I need your comfort. I know you sympathize with my suffering. Let me appreciate that in a real and tangible way. And when I bear the sacred scars that testify to the healing I received, help me use that pain for good and comfort others with the comfort you gave me. In Jesus’s name, amen.
Day 3
Treasures in Darkness
Scripture: Isaiah 45:3; 2 Corinthians 1:3-7; Philippians 1:6
We usually view someone who has persevered through battles as strong, confident, and capable. We can tell that they think differently about themselves and others because of what they have been through. In fact, I know of no one I deeply admire who hasn’t walked through dark days. Those I know who are called upon to do great things go through fire and flood and famine first.
Yet we sometimes believe that the wounds of our own dirty, messy lives, and their resulting scars, disqualify us from living a full life—that they leave us marred in the sight of others and of God, like a chipped plate no longer safe to eat from.
My story is filled with hurt, mistakes, regrets, broken pieces, ugly truths, and shards of pain I would prefer to keep locked in a box. Yet every day, God reminds me that my story is also filled with grace that pulled me out of the pit of despair, unexpected healing, peace that made no sense, a declaration of value and identity, and a deeper relationship with my heavenly Father.
This is the Father who sustains me and gives me the strength to persevere when I am tempted to give up. Because God doesn’t play favorites, he loves each one of his children completely, unconditionally, and intimately. When Christ died on the cross, he did so for each one of us. He promises, “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion” (Philippians 1:6).
The scars that pain and suffering produce reveal treasures of transformation, redemption, and purpose that you can share unashamedly with other wounded and broken people. They become a mark in your life to show how God comforted you, how he brought you to a place where beauty is now greater than your pain.
Because we live in a fallen world, pain and adversity are inevitable, but how we respond to such experiences is our choice. Will we allow our scars to limit us, or will we use them to inform who we are and how we care for others?
Father, you promise to complete your good work in me. That means that even my scars can be beautiful testaments to your goodness, your healing, and your love. Help me to believe not my own thoughts about myself today but your thoughts toward me. In Jesus’s name, amen.
Day 4
Invisible Garden
Scripture: Psalm 27; Isaiah 58:11; John 15:5
When my husband and I were newlyweds, I longed for a garden. But we also anticipated moving into a new home. We constructed a mobile garden on casters so that when we moved, it could move with us. We built the frame, filled it with soil, and planted the seeds. I diligently watered, waited, and watched for new growth. After several days, I impatiently wondered where my garden was because all I could see was dirt. In retrospect, there was plenty happening there, but it was all underground.
We rarely recognize the value of pain when we are going through it. But in the waiting, in the praying, in the trusting, God is working. Like with my invisible garden, the change is there, but it’s often underground. It takes time for healing to occur, and we can either begrudge the pain or embrace the process. We can either grow bitter and resentful or look to God with expectancy for who he is and what he is doing. God is working his will and his way to help us become a brighter reflection of him. His promises give us countless reasons to hope.
When facing pain and adversity, it helps to speak God’s promises instead of reciting the problem. Throughout my husband’s and my health-related battles, for instance, I clung to Psalm 27:13: “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”
I know you’re tired. I know you are low on strength and perhaps lower on morale, but don’t give up. Don’t allow this trial to push you past your hope or cause you to stop pursuing your dreams. Lean into it. Push with the pain, like a woman in labor. Use it to birth your future.
God is a good God, his plans for us are good, and he longs to be our Provider. But growth is a process, one that we can’t rush, especially when we want God’s outcome.
Lord, I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Help me to be strong and take heart as I wait for you. Thank you for all you are doing underground, even if I can’t see new life right now. In Jesus’s name, amen.
Day 5
Redeeming Suffering
Scripture: Psalm 147:3; John 16:33; Hebrews 4:14-16
We all have something that we keep hidden in the deep recesses of our hearts, hoping no one will find it. Sins we’ve committed, mistakes we’ve made, poor decisions, physical or emotional struggles, or experiences that have left a scar on our bodies, in our minds, or in our hearts. Jesus warned us that we would all experience times of pain, trouble, or suffering:
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world, you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world. [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.] (John 16:33 AMP, italics in the original)
Notice that Jesus’s offer of peace is not isolated from our times of pain. We can have peace while experiencing pain because he has already won our ultimate victory for us. That victory is represented in the scars he bore as well as those we bear.
The pain points of today, the battle wounds that remain tender to the touch if not a bit bruised in your heart, will heal in time. Your scars will no longer represent open wounds but symbolize a road map of the healing God has provided, even if it’s still unfinished, and testify to his unchanging character.
It is my hope that as you learn to honor your scars as sacred to God, you will begin to appreciate just how far you’ve come so that on the painful days your heart will be encouraged to stay the course. My prayer is that you will come to know how beautiful God thinks you are and that you will give him your guilt, shame, and regret over the things that caused you pain. I pray that you would see the incredible value he places on you and that you would allow him to redeem your suffering as he heals your wounds and seals your sacred scars.
Father, Jesus told us we would experience trials in this life. Help me embrace the fact that my scars signify that I have endured a battle and survived. Help me see them as a beautiful reminder that you brought me through pain to the other side. My scars do not need to be hidden but celebrated for how far I have come. In Jesus’s name, amen.