Celebration: {Day 20} Leave a Scar

I used to wish that I could rewrite history
I used to dream that each mistake could be erased
That I could just pretend
I never knew the me back then...

But it's the memory of
The place You brought me from
That keeps me on my knees
And even though I'm free

Heal the wound but leave a scar
A reminder of how merciful You are...

(Heal the Wound by Point of Grace)

I went through a stage post-grace awakening where I wished that I could deny that Pharisee with my name and my face ever existed.  It saddened me to think of how blind I'd been.  How proud I'd been.  How many people I'd inadvertently shut out because of my high-minded "holiness".  How poor a reflection of Jesus I'd been.  Those memories were embarrassing, and I desperately wanted to hide from the old me.

But to ignore that part of my life would be to ignore what God has done.

He's a redeemer, our God.

And His grace redeems every. part. of my story.  I never want to forget His power to transform a Pharisee.  I never want to lose sight of how relentless His love is, or take His gift lightly.

I want to treasure this freedom, to embrace it with everything I am.  I want to live and breathe and sing and share His grace.

And so I pray He leaves the scar, the evidence of when that old way of life was pulled away, a vivid reminder of His mercy and grace.