We have all walked through some things. We have all been hurt. And that means we all bear permanent reminders of our wounds. Our scars are both proof that we have been hurt and proof that we have been healed.
Joseph was betrayed, enslaved, accused, unjustly punished, and forgotten. His wounds were deep, but somewhere along the way he had to make a decision about how he would keep moving. Because the thing about wounds is that they hurt and they bleed but they don’t kill you. There is still life after the pain, and we have to choose whether we will wear our scars with bitterness toward God for allowing them or better as a result of learning to trust the God who heals them.
Transformation is the outward proof of healing. When Joseph stood before his brothers and not only forgave them, but recognized that it was the pain they caused that God used to save people, he didn’t look anything like the bratty kid who once bragged to his brothers about the dreams he was having. His wounds became proof to him that God could transform any situation, any attack, any hurt, into something good. Joseph saw it in his own heart and he saw it in God’s plan for removing him from his family so that he could save an entire nation.
One of Joseph’s visions from God was of stars bowing down to his star. And even though it took decades and devastation before it happened, Joseph stayed close to God until he saw those stars.
If you’re hurting, if you’re bleeding, if you’re bitter, take your wounds to the healer. Whatever was meant to harm you, God can heal, and he can make the scars you bear tell a story that leads everyone who sees them to the healer as well. Your transformation through it is proof that healing is possible and brings hope to a desperate and hungry world.
Living Parakaleo 