Growing up with the Harry Potter series, I’ve always been intrigued by Harry’s scar. For those of us who are familiar with the series, we’d know that this scar was caused by the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, during that fateful night when he appeared in Godric’s Hollow and murdered Harry’s parents.
My fellow Potterheads would also know that throughout the story, Harry’s scar was a constant source of pain and suffering. Whenever Voldemort was near, his scar would burn and Harry would experience immense pain. The scar caused Harry even more pain whenever he was in danger of Lord Voldemort or his followers. And because of the connection that the horcrux inside of Harry had to Voldemort, Harry’s scar would hurt every time he had a vision of what Voldemort was doing, or when Voldemort was able to use dark magic to penetrate into Harry’s mind.
However, for those of us who know the story, we’d know that the scar played an important role in helping Harry to destroy the horcruxes, and to rid the wizarding world of the most dangerous dark wizard to ever walk the face of the earth. It was the scar that allowed Harry to see where Voldemort was, which helped him to warn others of the danger that was approaching when Voldemort was on his way to Hogwarts. It was the scar that allowed Harry to find Snape during the Battle of Hogwarts, which led to him coming to understand the fullness of the prophecy. And the scar did not go away when Voldemort was defeated. The scar remained, even after 19 years from the battle of Hogwarts.
Just like Harry, I suppose that all of us have been branded with scars during the course of our lives. These scars may have been given to us when we had been hurt by our loved ones, when we felt a sense of betrayal from our closest friends, or when we have been the victims of unfair gossip or whisper campaigns. Sometimes, these scars are even left upon us by members of the Church, the Body of Christ, the very last place where we’d expect to experience hurt.
However, just like Harry, the scars that we obtain in the Lord’s battlefield can also be of use to ourselves, and to others. They can help us to feel with others in their pain, to minister to those who are broken, and to offer words of advice to those who have been wounded in their journey towards the new and eternal Jerusalem.
I have often wondered why some scars don’t go away. Perhaps this is why our God does not allow for it to be as such. Our scars can be of use in His battlefield, and it is up to us to use them to give life to others. Will we answer this call?
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Originally published at The Barefoot Journey Home.
