Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCLXXXIV

The bulldozer operator, through an act of carelessness, struck a large tree with the blade of his machine, leaving a deep gash in its trunk. That tree, however, was a living, breathing creation of the Almighty God, who placed within all living things a self-healing mechanism that serves to prolong its life. Therefore that tree, though the injury was severe, over time, was totally restored to perfect health. All that was left was a scar. That leaves us with a question:  If God has the ability to restore that tree to perfect health, doesn't He also have the power to remove the scar?  Why would He choose to leave that constant reminder of that past injury? When I was a little kid, my great grandmother had one of those old type wells in her back yard that had a long, slender bucket with a rope and pulley, and we would lower the bucket into the well until it filled with water, then we would pull it back out of the well and empty the water into a pail. As kids we loved to go get water for Grandma Francis. One day, my cousin, Garland, and I were getting her some water, and I was looking over into the well as Garland pulled the bucket up,  and just as I looked over the side,  he jerked on the rope, and the bucket struck me just above my left eye, leaving a large cut on my eyebrow. Just like the tree that was hit by the bulldozer, my eyebrow healed over time, but even though that incident happened more than fifty years ago, I still have a scar on my left eyebrow. Again I have to ask, "When God gave my body the ability to heal itself, why didn't He also give it the ability to heal the scar?" Have you ever had an injury, either physical or emotional, that caused you great pain, but with time, healing came, although it left you scarred?  I lost my younger brother three years ago, and I must tell you, I just wasn't prepared for how bad it hurt. The healing process, however, is well underway, but it's obvious that I will always have that invisible scar. Why?  There must be some reason that when God heals, He chooses to leave a scar, because He definitely has the power to heal that too. As I was looking at myself in the mirror this morning, I noticed that scar above my eye for the millionth time, and something clicked in my mind. I wondered just how many cuts, scrapes and bruises I've had in my lifetime that I don't remember, but I vividly recall the incident with the bucket at the well. Why do I remember that particular one?  That constant reminder on my left eyebrow won't let me forget.   Then my mind went back to the emotional scar that I carry as a result of the loss of my brother, and I realized that I cherish that scar, and I never want to lose it. When we are experiencing deep pain, we begin to feel that healing will never come, but healing does come, and then we begin to forget just how awful the pain was that we had to experience. Most of my past pain that left without leaving a scar has long ago been forgotten, but where there are scars, there are also memories. Some painful events of our past should always be remembered, and our scars are the tools that make it happen. You know...I've come to the conclusion that when God created us, He must've known what He was doing after all. Preston Sent from my iPhone=