Scars Tell Our Story

I have been very bothered by the physical scars left behind from the rapes. Seeing them on my body is a constant reminder of what happened and I have had this erroneous belief that having them gone will help me forget what happened. I have even taken measures to try to remove them myself.

Recently, someone who knows I love green sea turtles, brought me a baby size wooden carving of one that is beautifully detailed. On the trip here, one of the front fins broke off and she, being upset by what seemed to devalue this gift, debated on not giving it to me. Then she decided that, in knowing my life, perhaps a turtle with a broken fin was actually more appropriate. I agreed. After very carefully gluing it back together, there remains a fine line where the break was.

Last week I inherited the mother of my dog. She is four years old and an absolute cutie. Her breath however, was nauseating. Upon inspecting her teeth I discovered the source, and three days later she had surgery for all the infection in her mouth from the neglect she had been living with. She had 19 dead teeth pulled, which was in addition to the 8 teeth that fell out due to bone loss. So now her mouth is full of broken places.

Viewing each of these examples, it appears that these imperfections would mar their value or ability. The reality is that the blemishes will always be visible, and they could be seen merely as broken places. I now know that the fact that the scars will never disappear as I had previously hoped, will indeed serve as reminders, but not just to remember pain and ugliness. The scars in each of these instances, as well as so many others, will be there to tell a story; a story of survival, of strength, and of overcoming.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. ~Romans 12:21 NKJV

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