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Scars in Heaven

 "The thought that makes me smile now

Even as the tears fall down

Is that the only scars in Heaven

Are on the hands that hold you now." ~ "Scars in Heaven" - Casting Crowns

    The sermon this past Sunday was about Jesus appearing to His disciples after the Resurrection, Thomas not being there, and his subsequent doubt. While this is a typical sermon topic for the Sunday after Easter, this time I started thinking about how this story relates to the song quoted above. What Thomas needed to see to believe in the Resurrection were the scars on Christ's body.

    Revelation 21:4 states, "Death will be no more, mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away." To me, that means that any limitations we had in our lives, including our scars, are gone once we enter those pearly gates. I know a woman who struggled with mobility problems her whole life, which required her to wear ugly orthopedic shoes. After she died earlier this year, I began to picture her with a giant closet filled with pairs of beautiful shoes that she never could have worn during her life. Not that I think we need shoes in heaven, but it's fun to think of her wearing some that she loves instead of the ones she used to need.

    What strikes me so much about the passage and the song is that they are a reminder that Jesus still has some of His scars. I say some because I'm sure we aren't going to be greeted with the results of every skinned knee, splinter, and accidental hammer whack from his carpentry days. We will, however, be greeted by the scars that are most important: the scars that bought our place with Him for eternity. I look forward to the day when I see Him face to face, place my hands on the nail marks on His wrists, and exclaim like Thomas, "My Lord and my God!"

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