Scripture: Then he [Jesus] said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” –John 20:27 NIV

One of my heroes is the late Dr. Paul Brand, the surgeon who worked with lepers in Vellore, India, to restore use of their hands. Beloved by his patients, he saw in their deformities the very scars of Christ Himself. His book, Pain–the Gift Nobody Wants, helps us understand pain as God’s gift to protect us.

I remember reading of an impromptu sermon he gave at the clinic, in which he mentioned that the resurrected Savior, whose body had been restored, still retained scars in His hands, feet, and side. “Why?” he asked and looked around at men and women whose fingers had been lost to multiple injuries.  “Because He wanted to forever identify with broken, scarred humanity.”

I, too, am scarred and broken.  But my Savior has endured more suffering than I will ever face. Someday I will see His hands, and in those ugly nail scars, I will see my name written (Isaiah 19:16)  With tears of gratitude streaming down my face, I will lean over and kiss the reminders of His incredible love.

Prayer: Blessed Jesus, help me never look down on another’s scars or be ashamed of my own. All humanity is broken, but if we follow You, we can find purpose in every wound. Every painful experience, if shared, will help some other person whom You love.