The Scars

What grabbed my attention as I walked by was not the sprawling foliage of the cedar tree which had obviously grown through many a year and many a storm, but its scar.  Some might call it a broken branch.  Regardless of what it is called, it revealed the beautiful wood that is unseen inside its outer bark.  Being the person I have come to be, I could not help myself.  Lest I forget the moment I wrote myself a note, "Our scars show the beauty of our inner spirit."     

It is true, is it not?  The message of the scarred cedar tree is true.  We may see the manicured, well groomed, and never a hair out of place person, and while they may think of themselves as one of the beautiful people, we know that the truly beautiful people are the ones who are unafraid to wear their scars for others to see.  Everyone has some scars.  Even those who think they have no scars have some.  They may be afraid to let them be seen, but they still have them.  We all do.   

What most of us have learned over the years of living and suffering scars of our own is that there is beauty in those scars.  The people we value are not those who look perfect, but those who are vulnerable enough to let others know about the pain that produced the scars.  It does not mean that we need to run around showing off our scars, but it does mean that we should not be afraid of letting others know of the things that have made us who we are.  The broken often find redemption and wholeness as they hear the pain of others and see their scars.  What we have found through seeing the scars of others can be given as we dare to live unafraid to share our own.