SCARS

I was headed out this morning to work and was sitting at the first light and pulled my make-up bag out to start 'my face' for the day.  YES... I'm one of those who puts her make-up on in the car but I've stopped doing it on the interstate at 70 MPH.  (audible *sigh of relief* from my Dad and Stepmom)  


Anyway, back to my story, I began with the concealer to cover those blemishes I wanted to smooth out and try to blend in.  I was doing just that when the thought came to me about our 'blemishes' or our scars of life.  


We all have them.  We all try to cover them up and hide them hoping no one will notice.  
And yet, the only one who really needs to 'come to grips' with them is the person looking in the mirror.  


I remember looking at a picture of myself with my sister over Spring Break. I commented on how my bangs were messy and uneven and she nonchalantly replied, "Oh, but that's you!  That's what you look like."  


How true!  I can never get perfect bangs because I hate things hanging in my eyes or touching my face.  That is who I am and at this point in my life why try to change it or get frustrated with it?  It is who I am, accept it.  Everyone else in my life, who chooses to be in my life, has already accepted that.


Back to what I was saying about scars.  We all have them why try to cover or hide them?  Really, sometimes it is only ourselves who is the one consumed with the scar.  The people in our lives have already accepted that that is who we are, scars and all.  


Scars say that there was something in our past that hurt us, that we can't or don't want to forget.  


Being the Christian I am, my mind went to Jesus and the scars which he had imprinted on his hands from the sacrifice on the cross.  In the book of John, chapter 20 (John 20:19-31)
the story is told about Jesus appearing to his disciples after his resurrection and how he pointed out his scars as proof of His Act of Love.  He wasn't trying to cover or hide his scars.  He wasn't hoping that no one would notice.  He showed them as evidence.  


Maybe our scars are more evidence of life than they are mistakes.  A scar isn't necessarily a negative thing, as in the case of Jesus' scars.  They are part of us.  They are there as a reminder.  Why are we always trying to cover up who we are and who we have become?
Why hide the real me?  Why wear an impostor's mask when I can be an authentic original? Why do we think noticing our scars is not a good thing?


I think more people appreciate and more readily accept someone who is real, with real-life experience, who isn't covering up or hiding anything, who is authentic.  I know when I see a person's scar, or vulnerability, I more easily identify with them and more quickly appreciate who they have become.  


And sometimes... our scars are there for the whole world to see and to learn from.  They become a platform from which to share our experience.... like Vietnam Vet Dave Roever or motivational speaker Nick Vujicic.