“The way you release scar tissue, spiritually speaking, is through forgiveness. If you don’t release that scar tissue, you lose emotional range of motion — the ability to experience joy, the ability to experience intimacy.”- Mark Batterson
In Chapter 4 (“Postimagining”) of Win the Day, Mark Batterson begins with a discussion of conditioned reflexes. Most significantly, those reflexes — conscious or subconscious — dictate much of our behavior. And over the course of our lifetimes, we acquire an elaborate repertoire of those conditional reflexes.
Furthermore, Mark observes, one half of winning the day consists of learning what we don’t know. The other half consists of unlearning what we do know. Which begs the question” Which is harder? Above all, kissing the wave = kissing that wave goodbye!
Charles Dickens wrote about a wealthy spinster named Miss Havisham in his book Great Expectations. After the love of her life failed to show for their wedding, Miss Havisham wore her white wedding gown for the rest of her life. Never taking it off. And since the jilting took place at forty minutes after eight, she stopped all the clocks in her house at that precise time.
Hence, such a traumatic experience holds a person hostage. The ransom? = the rest of his or her life. Also, like Miss Havisham, we often employ counterproductive coping strategies.
In conclusion, Mark counsels:
“If want to win the day, you’ve got to self-scout. You’ve got to identify the ways in which you sabotage yourself, then interrupt those unhealthy patterns. . . . That’s where our relationship with God enters the equation. . . . Our sufficiency is in Christ alone. His love sets us free to be who we were meant to be. When you know that you are loved by God, you don’t have to play God. And the people you love don’t have to bear that impossible burden either.”
Therefore, when scar tissue forms around old injuries, we need a coping mechanism to deal with the trauma. Because defense mechanisms rarely provide long-term healing.
Today’s question: What Bible verses help you release your scar tissue? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Confessions of sin, professions of faith”
