I remember my first teatnus shot.  I was a small boy living in Detroit.  I was playing in the woods behind my home.  I came upon an old fort that a few boys had tried to build and as a resut there was a bunch of boards with nails sitting on the ground.  As I was playing around those boards, I kneeled down, and without noticing, I kneeled on a rusty nail.  I was rushed to the hospital and sat there for a while whil I waited for my teatnus shot. 

The reason I mention that is that my knee for the longest time had that scar on it.  It looked like a mosquito bite that just wouldn't go away and wasn't itchy.  But it was one of those sacrs that seemed to stick with me forever.  Time to time when I looked at it I remembered that trip to the emergency room.  But slowly, over time, it did go away.

Isn't that the same with some of the scars of our heart.  There are scars that come from sin, from broken relationships, from failure, disappointment, dashed dreams, failed hopes, mistakes and stupidity. 

Some of those scars perhaps need to go away fast so that we aren't crippled from them.

Some of those scars perhaps need to stay for a while so that we can learn from them.

Some of those scars do have to disappear after time so that we are freed from them.

Paul says, "I forget what lies behind me and press on toward the goal."  Paul forget those mistakes of his tainted past of persecution and presses forward, forgets those scars so that he can be freed to experience the grace of God.

What are your scars?  Are they fading?  Are they fresh?  What are the ones that don't seem to ever go away?  Have you forgotten some of your scars?  Which ones still hurt?