Scars.

In church on Sunday, Todd talked about scars. It is a rare occasion that I don't cry in church. Today was no exception. As Todd shared about physical scars of his past, he said there are some scars we have in life that we should be proud of as it is proof we are living.

And as I think of my physical scars, I think of my cancer scar. It is a crooked line etched into my stomach. It is not beautiful in and of itself. However, it is beautiful for the story it tells. 7 years ago I was diagnosed with Stage III Ovarian Cancer with less than a 20% chance of survival. Thankfully, my scar shows that indeed I have survived by God's grace. 

There are scars harder to see. The ones of the heart. Though they are easier to hide, they often hurt worse than the physical scars. I have wounds that are healing still. Yet as Todd encouraged, after a while, you will look, and the scars will have vanished. Though you've been telling the story so long, you may not have noticed. There are stories of my past I've carried for so long that I don't want to carry them any longer. And in fact, the pain has lessened and the scars are starting to vanish.