Turning your scars to stars

John 20:27-28, “Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. [28] And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.”

Jesus was bruised, battered, and so badly wounded before they nailed Him to the cross. Before then, He was hated by His enemies, betrayed by a close friend, abandoned by His followers and trusted allies, spat upon and mocked by His haters, and humiliated publicly by the Roman soldiers.

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Apart from the visible physical injuries, you can imagine the deep emotional pains He had to endure from betrayal, rejection, humiliation and being called a liar and a fraud! These are more painful than physical injuries.

Emotional wounds can keep you from moving forward. That’s why it’s so important to heal emotional wounds from the past.

There are times when your self-love really gets put at risk because of past experiences. All types of rejection lead to suffering. It doesn’t matter what causes them. The truth is that it’s a kind of pain none of us is immune to. Look at the experience of Jesus on the cross, Mark 15:34, “And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

Rejection hurts!

When the rejection is consistent, or happened at an early age, or comes from loved ones, that’s when you’re dealing with an emotional wound that’s hard to heal. Taunting, humiliation, devaluation, constant criticism, and unfair blame are all really harmful to whoever is on the receiving end.

The heaviest emotional wounds from the past are the ones related to lack of affection. These ones happen when someone has been abandoned, pushed away emotionally, or shut off. The main people who cause these kinds of wounds are parents.

Wounds related to lack of affection can lead people to feel extremely alone a lot of the time. It makes them think that no one sees them as important. It also gives them the idea that no one understand them, or that no one accepts them.  Such people sometimes become extremely dependent on others. They have a constant need for outside approval. They also try to please everyone all the time and will often completely forget about themselves. Their moods are also all over the place, and always depend on other people’s attitudes at the time.

You will not fully develop if you don’t heal from emotional trauma.

How To Turn Your Scars To Stars

Emotional wounds from the past are like physical wounds. They heal and then scar over. They leave a mark, but they never hurt again. But if you don’t treat them properly, they’ll just keep on causing problems. They might re-open, or even get worse. Someone once said, “When you heal the memories from your past you start to see the present in a different way.”

5 Things That Can Help

1. Don’t be bitter, forgive. There is anger that comes with emotional injuries and it could be very serious. This anger hinders progress if not promptly dealt with. Pray for those who offended you until you no longer feel bitter towards them. Jesus prayed and asked the Father to forgive His persecutors and killers. He even made excuses for them. Your restoration is contingent upon this. It is not enough to forgive others; you must also forgive yourself and move on. Self-hate is more destructive than the hatred of others. Accept and love yourself unconditionally.
2. Don’t complain, praise. It is hard, yes! But it is doable. Pray for God to heal your heart and praise Him for working out your restoration even though you cannot see it now. This is how you allow God to heal you of all emotional wounds. Jesus is anointed and sent to heal the broken-hearted (Luke 4:18). He came to mend broken hearts. The Bible says in Psalm 23:3, “He restoreth my soul.” He will heal you of emotional hurts. Praise Him genuinely, knowing that He is making everything to work out for your good, even betrayal, rejection and hurt.
3. Do away with shame. Shame is one big tool the enemy uses to destroy your confidence and delay or destroy your recovery. Do away with it. Look at how Jesus dealt with the situation; the Bible says, He despised the shame. Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Lack is not a problem. It is how we handle the shame of not having, especially with people who once held you in high esteem when you had. Being single is not a sin but it is what we allow ourselves to feel because of the opinion of others. If you can deal with the shame and anger of lack, a loss, or a mistake, you can turn your scars into stars; you can turn your storms into rainbows!
4. Reframe. Let the light of the Word of God shine through the darkness. When light pierces a storm, rainbows appear. See the situation as working together for your good. Don’t see a failed project as your failure, see it as a learning process. Don’t accept the opinion of others about you as a correct interpretation of who you are; see it like they don’t really know you. Reframe. Jesus saw the cross as a means to the joy that was set before Him. While others saw punishment, He saw process! This served Him more than feeling ashamed and disappointed with Himself. Listen to me, you might appear helpless right now, but you are not hopeless! You will not end up in disgrace but in your place of honour!
5. Be proud of your scars. Jesus proudly displayed His scar to show how much he survived and the victory He achieved. It was this that set His disciples on fire. Develop a message out of your suffering. Share your testimony. It can mean the difference between life and death for someone who may be passing through a hard time and is thinking of quitting.

Major battles leave you with a scar. Jesus proudly displayed His scars to convince Thomas that He had indeed risen from the dead. He displayed the scars not as a victim but as a Victor. He had conquered death and He was proud of it!

Your scars don’t show how much you have suffered or how much of a victim you are but how much of a survivor you are! Jesus displayed His scars in triumph! It’s like saying; ‘see, I survived; I won!’ He was not only raised, but He was also healed.

His scar became a symbol of victory, a source of inspiration and a message of encouragement to the afflicted. He not only turned His scars into stars, He became a star for billions around the world.

Learn from your past mistakes or apparent failures and move on with your life. That you are alive shows that you are a survivor. Stop grieving because of what you have lost; start rejoicing because of what the Lord has brought you through. Shame the devil by proudly displaying your scars! You won; be proud of it!

You will win every battle against you! God will deliver you and honour you! Get ready to be celebrated; you are the real champion!!! You will break barriers, in Jesus name!

Bishop Dr. Charles Olowojoba is the General Overseer of Dayspring Bible Church Worldwide with HQ in Abuja, Nigeria & President, Dayspring Christian Ministries Int’l.