Scars are Beautiful

"Scars are beautiful when we see them as glorious reminders that we have courageously survived." ~ Lisa Terkeurst

We all have scars. Some scars taught us early on in life that we shouldn't take our hands off the handle bars while riding a bike or run through a glass door to greet a parent walking to the front door. Those scars taught us natural consequences - and they were good lessons. We survived them - and perhaps the permanent reminder in the form of a scar was the visual cue necessary to keep us from trying those tricks again in the off chance we forget what stitches felt like at the ripe old age of 3, 4, or 5. 

Some scars brought us love in the form of hugs and kisses and "ohs'" and "ahs" and "I'm so sorry you hurt yourself." That extra love of being bundled in another's arms, folded into comfort, and reminded of your humanness, was so worth the pain and tiny (or giant) scar(s) you carry around.

Some scars serve as daily reminders of a pain so great you wouldn't wish it on anyone else. A scar staring back at you can be brutal. Brutally honest. Brutally real. Brutally cruel. And then it can also be down right okay. Scars of this magnitude - the ones where a doctor removes cancer cells, or fallopian tubes, or tumors - those scars scream of your strength even when they remind you of sadness. Scars inflicted by others? They are physical representations of cruelty that has no place in this world. This cruelty should not exist. And yet there are scars, reflecting its presence. And so it is easy (and valid) for anyone carrying around these scars to feel the etched reminder of their existence. It is also through these etchings that so much beautiful can emerge - flourish really.

Seeing or feeling a scar serves as a lifelong reminder of courage, survival, hope, and beautiful - from the tiniest nick to the deepest cut. Even now words fail in how to capture the way See Beautiful evolved from deep wounds and permanent scars. Without them, See Beautiful may not exist. 

Scars might be one of the most beautiful.