By Barb Milioni
Thanksgiving is the time of year when we are encouraged to be thankful. We all know the story of the first Thanksgiving when the pilgrims and the Native Americans gathered together to celebrate the bountiful harvest that the Lord had given them. These participants in the first Thanksgiving were truly thankful to the God who had helped them to survive the harsh realities of the New World.
We are encouraged to follow their example and give thanks to the Lord for the bountiful harvest He has produced in our own lives. I am afraid that we have lost sight of what true thankfulness is. We spend a lot of time preparing for our Thanksgiving meal and a little time really giving thanks.
Webster’s defines thankful as, “feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative.” There is a second meaning of thankful that is more indicative of the real reason for Thanksgiving. Thankful is also defined as being “impressed with a sense of kindness received and ready to acknowledge it; grateful.” It is this definition of thankful I have felt this year. I have been impressed with the sense of kindness that God has given me and I am ready to acknowledge it. God has made me thankful for scars.
“Scars?” you may ask.
Yes, scars. The marks left behind by a healed wound, sore, or burn. Millions of dollars are spent each year on products and procedures designed to minimize the appearance of scars. We do not want others to stare at or notice our scars, but they are there as a sign that we have healed. I see a horizontal scar on my stomach every day. I am thankful every day for that scar because it is that healed wound that gave me two of my children, Daniel and Mariah. I am so thankful for my children. They are a constant reminder of the kindness of God in answered prayer. My third child, a precious son, was stillborn. That event broke my heart and I was not sure that the wound would ever heal. I began to pray for another child. Daniel and Mariah were the answers to those prayers. I am thankful for the God who heard my prayer and in His kindness answered them in such a wonderful way. I am thankful for the scars that allowed me to deliver them.
I am also thankful for the long vertical scar that extends across my husband’s abdomen. Mark was diagnosed with appendiceal cancer, and the treatment for that particular kind of cancer is surgery to remove a portion of the large intestine. His surgery was scheduled for the Friday following Thanksgiving 2007. I did not know what the outcome of that surgery would be. Would the cancer be contained? Would it have spread? What was the extent of the damage that the cancer had done?
Praise God the cancer was contained and all that is left to remind me of those difficult days is the scar. The scar was bright red and very painful after the surgery. The scar represented to me the unknowns — would the cancer return? Was it lurking somewhere else that the scans did not see? The scar began to heal and the fears subside each time Mark has a good check-up. The blood tests have been clear. There is no more cancer. The scar has now faded to a soft pink, but it will always be noticeable. I am so thankful for that scar. Every time that I see it I thank God for His mercy in sparing my husband. Philippians 2:27 perfectly describes my reason for being thankful: “For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.”
I am so thankful for the scar that gave me more time with my dear husband. There is another set of scars for which I am eternally grateful. Jesus bears on His perfect body the marks of the nails that held Him to the cross. The scars on His hands and feet remind me of the love that was shown when Jesus chose to be the sacrifice for my sins. Jesus loved me enough to bear humiliation, shame, and intense pain on the cross. “He who knew no sin became sin for us.” Praise God for the scar. A scar is “the mark left behind by a healed wound.” People whose injuries result in death never produce a scar. Jesus conquered death, His wounds are healed, and I am thankful for His scars!
I am thankful, impressed with the kindness Jesus has given me, and I acknowledge my gratitude for all that He has done for me.
Thank you, Jesus, for your scars.
Barb Milioni is married to Mark Milioni, pastor of First Baptist Church of Medina, Ohio.