We all carry them. Whether they are the faded white lines on our knees from falling off a bike as children, or the invisible, heavy ache left behind by the loss of a best friend, our lives are mapped out in scars.
Some scars are given to us intentionally; others are the result of the random, often cruel, friction of living. But regardless of how we got them, we eventually reach a crossroads where we must ask ourselves a difficult, uncomfortable question:
Are you really looking to be healed?
The Comfort of the Wound
It sounds counterintuitive. Why would anyone choose to keep a scar? Yet, the roadblocks to healing are many.
Often, we refuse to acknowledge the scar because we equate vulnerability with weakness. We tell ourselves we don’t have time to be injured or that we are “fine” because the world demands we keep moving. We bury the emotional trauma deep in our marrow, hoping that if we don’t look at it, it will stop hurting.
But ignored scars don’t just vanish. They turn into disease. They become a “vicious circle” where we subconsciously find ways to tap into sadness or anger, eventually becoming comfortable in our depression. We start to identify with our pain so much that we aren’t sure who we are without it.
The First Step: Radical Recognition
Healing cannot begin in the dark. To grow, you must first have the strength, courage, and faith to admit one thing: “I am sick.” or “I am hurting.”
Recognition is the catalyst for transformation. Once you acknowledge that a scar is affecting your ability to grow, you break the cycle of denial. This admission isn’t an act of defeat; it is the first act of a warrior.
The Work of Becoming Whole
In this universe, there are no impossibles. When you truly want to be healed, the path opens—but you have to be willing to walk it. True healing requires a three-pronged approach:
- Asking for Help: Once you recognize the need, you must have the humility to reach out to those who know how to guide you.
- Diligent Effort: Healing is not a one-time event; it is a daily practice. It is the commitment to taking the recommended steps even when you don’t feel like it.
- Complete Faith: You must believe, with every fiber of your being, that restoration is possible.
The Choice is Yours
You are free to do whatever you want. You can stay where you are, comfortable in the familiarity of your pain. But if you say you want to heal, your actions must match your words.
Healing requires your “all.” It requires you to stop “trying for a bit” and start living for the recovery. If you have the faith and the diligence to do every possible thing in your power to heal, the universe will meet you there.
The scar may be part of your story, but it doesn’t have to define who you really are.
— E. Luna
My Perspective on Life 