We’ve all got them, but we don’t always tell them.

In our over filtered world, where people take hundreds of photos to post one, we tend to emphasize the finished product far too much. After all, the perfect story — the one that is the most compelling to tell and hear — is never perfect.

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I think that’s why we’re so drawn to stories. All of us have a God-given desire to overcome, and so we relate to the struggles that the characters in those stories face. When we can relate to their struggle, it gives us hope that we, too, can overcome ours.

Of course, God knew this. He sent His Son to be a suffering Savior. If we find Jesus hard to relate to, perhaps it’s because we haven’t seen the real Jesus. He was tempted like us, betrayed like us, and He hurt like us — all for us. His scars — the scars that won’t fade (see Revelation 5:6) — tell the eternal story of how He has overcome.

Your scars tell a story, too. They paint a picture of survival and strength. They tell others that you once faced something that caused you pain but didn’t cause you to quit.

Revelation 12:11 tells us that believers overcome because of the sacrifice of Jesus (His scars) and the testimony of the believers (our stories). His blood will never lose its power. Let’s make sure that our stories never stop being told.