Everyone who has a scar has a story to tell about it. I spent an afternoon with a dear friend who has a beautiful smile, but behind it there are scars. And stories. She has trudged through pain, illness, and heartbreaking betrayal. I never leave the same after the two of us have been together because she is honest about sharing those stories that inspire and bless me. I leave a better person.
“Until you let the past die, your future cannot live,” she says. She also tells me she can now smile because of those scars. Her words are rich and are a testimony to someone who knows what it means to overcome. The way she turned her scars into stories gave me a manual for when I walked through recent betrayal and hurt from those I trusted. I grieved a loss, and my friend knows that pain well. We both agreed that we would go through it all again to end up right where we are. The miracles God brought through our scars have been life changing.
Forgiveness brings freedom. Mom talked about this often, reminding me that the freedom comes when we love and forgive. We don’t need to justify the action. Justice is God’s job. And forgiving doesn’t mean we have to keep doing life together. We can give the people who have hurt us back to God and choose to move forward. It is not our job to avenge.
The scars that Jesus carried became a testimony of how God can heal all our wounds. The scars remained, but God’s redemption triumphed. When my pastor, Craig Groeschel, 
talks about holding in anger and unforgiveness, he asks this question: “Do you want to make a point, or do you want to make a difference?” When we choose to hold on to anger and unforgiveness, we are trying to make a point, and it is one that ultimately causes a wound. But when we choose to let go and forgive, we are free and can move forward and make a difference in this hurting world.
My friend and I prayed together before we said goodbye, thanking God for the experiences that brought us to this season. We thanked God for our scars, and that through it all, he was working for our good. My friend’s life wasn’t about making a point, it was making a lifesaving difference to many people, including me.
Are you making a point, or making a difference? When you let go of the hurt from your scars and choose forgiveness, you set your feet on a fresh path of freedom. But we don’t turn away from the scars, instead, we tell their story to others, and to ourselves. It’s the story of healing and redemption. It’s your story. Romans 8:28