Scars

The other day as I was rubbing lotion on my scrubbed-clean little boy, I noticed a scar I hadn't realized was still there. It's a small dot on the inside of his wrist, a reminder of one of his IV's, or possibly a remnant from an arterial line. It made me look for others that aren't as obvious as his sternal and thoracotomy incisions. He has three dots on his neck, which is where they placed an arterial line after both surgeries. He has another two on his ankle where IV's were placed, two on the top of his hand, and between his chest tube scars he has little confetti-type marks which I have never been able to figure out.

Pardon the farmer's tan!

As I massaged the lotion into my baby's sweet skin, I had a moment of intense emotion, beginning with grief that he's had to endure pain; moving to pride in his resilience; sadness that more scars will mark his body; finally gratitude that medical science has allowed my son to live fully.

Over the next couple of days, when I thought about those scars, I was surprised to find I was thankful for them.

God told Moses (if you haven't already guessed from recent posts, I'll admit I'm a proud member of the Moses fan club—what a guy!) that when the Israelites entered the Promised Land, they were to write God's Law on large, plaster-covered stones. God knew it about the Israelites, and He knows it about us — WE FORGET! It seems impossible that the Israelites could forget walking through a parted sea, or watching water pour out of a dry desert rock.

But like the Israelites, I too am forgetful, which leads me back to why I'm thankful for Luke's scars. I'm thankful that there are visual reminders of God's work. I'm thankful that these scars never let me forget that God promises to cause "all things to work together for good to those who love Him."

My hope for Luke is that he wears these scars proudly. My hope is that when he looks at his scars, he remembers that God has created him with a unique purpose. My hope is that his "superman scars" open doors for him to share his story, to bring awareness to this disease, and to bring glory to God.