My uncle was recently diagnosed with cancer late last year. My happy, hilarious, story telling uncle was going through the worst thing possible, yet he praised God and told me that it was the best thing that could ever happen to him.

He went through an outrageous surgery to take the cancer out of his body. He spent weeks laying in his hospital bed to recover. He asked for darkness and quiet so that he could spend time with the Lord. Just imagining what he had to endure makes me want to cry. His surgery caused massive scars on his body; scars which were black and ugly. But these scars told a story.

My uncles home nurse showed up to take care of his wounds one day after breakfast. She spent more than an hour with him, making sure that he got the proper treatment. She reminded him to continue to rest, to not lift anything heavy and that she would be back the next week. Though I wasn’t in the room with them, I knew she wasn’t putting a new Barbie bandaid and Neosporin on the wounds. His wound care was critical and important.

I’ve never had a major surgery. Getting a filling in my tooth is the extent of “pain” for me. I did fall off my bike when I was 10 or 11. I landed on the asphalt, hard. My body had scratches from head to toe, but they healed in proper time.

I’ve been scared from words. I’ve been scared from heartbreak. Lies. Fear.

When I’ve been hurt in the past & people want to bring it up, they’ll use the phrase “I don’t want to open up any wounds.” The thought of the past has felt like opening up a wound. I’ll get upset again. I’ll focus on it in a unhealthy way. But after thinking of my uncle and his proper wound care, those wounds will not open up again. If they have been treated professionally, the treatment and body will heal.

When I haven’t allowed God to heal me, my wounds open up. My emotions are raw. My guard goes up. The memory of the pain isn’t fun to experience, again.

Even when I have wanted Him to heal, I wanted instant healing. I want the pain to go away by the next day. But just like my uncle’s nurse, she was going to be back. It was going to take more than one treatment.

This is where proper wound care comes in. God is going back again and again to treat the wound. He is also going to ask us to not pick our wounds (I know, gross visual). It’s easy to lift the bandaid and check to see the progress, but He asks us to let it be.

It may take time. We may feel frustrated. The pain may feel like it’s never going to end. But it will.

I said that my uncle’s scars told a story. The scars we have received tell a story as well, but they are no longer scars. My Pastor shared this word in church: The scars healed by Jesus on earth, bring beauty marks to Heaven. See these scars tell a story to others. They show that God showed up and did something. They show of a Heavenly Father who cares for us with unconditional love. Our scars become beauty marks.

Let God properly treat you. It might look like allowing trusted people to come in and help with the process. It might look like spending hours in prayer. It might look like deactivating your Facebook or Instagram profile to help heal the pain, whatever the situation.

Let us trust in the Lord that He will come in and treat our wounds properly. Let us trust in the Lord that He wants us to be happy again. Let us trust in the Lord that we will walk away with joy, knowing that our Healer has touched our body.

“‘Lord, help!’ they cried in their troubles, and he saved them in their distress. He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death. Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonder things he has done for them.” – Psalm 107: 19-21 NLT

“O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health.” -Psalm 30:2 NLT

“Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies.” -Psalm 103:2-4