Finding God’s Love in Our WoundsSample

Boasting in Your Scars

In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul recounts how God sent him a thorn in the flesh. Paul pleaded with God to take it away, but God would not. Rather God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul then replied, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me . . . For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Because our world doesn’t gaze upon the crucified Jesus, letting his wounds bring healing to their own, we give our attention to other things hoping they will set us free—a job, a spouse, a perfect family, social media fame, politics—the list goes on. In essence, the world tries to turn people’s attention to “the right side” of their face and prove they are worthy of love and acceptance.

Paul could’ve done this. As he tells the Corinthian church, he had all sorts of things in his life that he could’ve boasted in that would be admired by others—pedigree, education, zeal. But now in Christ, he refuses to boast in these things. Rather, he will only boast in his weaknesses, his scars. Signs from his life that the world would look at and despise. But Paul knows that in these places is found the power of God. How? Because when we are weak, God’s love revealed in Jesus, becomes our strength.

This means that when you boast in your scars—marks of perceived weakness to the world—you give yourself and others a chance to encounter the strength of God made most visible in weakness.

The person struggling with addiction who doesn’t hide and is no longer held captive to its secret shame. The divorcee who humbly shares how the pain of a failed marriage revealed the unfailing love of God. The perfectionist released by Jesus meeting her in her imperfections. These are all scars on our souls that must be lifted up to the world as signs of the sufficiency of God’s grace and power. If we boast in our scars long enough, we permit others to come out of hiding, show God the wounded parts of their souls, and receive the kiss of Christ, just like us. It is by boasting in our scars that we give others a chance to be healed too.