My Story

   Scars tell a story. Scars on the outside left by a scraped knee after an encounter with a sidewalk. Or maybe those left on your skin by someone you should have been able to trust. Possibly your scars were placed on your skin by your own actions. Sometimes the scars are on the inside. The kind that don’t show. Each scar has a story all its own.

   My own inner scars left by a man, a friend of my father, who abused me when I was a little girl are largely the reason I became a trauma counselor. I picked at inner scars called shame, grief, isolation and distrust most of my life. These scars have finally healed, a story for a different time.  Now I listen to others reveal similar scars. We weep together, experience anger together, and gradually, hopefully, their scars are allowed to heal--leaving honor, joy, connection and trust with which to journey on. Or, as the Bible puts it in Isaiah 61:3, 

…beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

   If you have scars you continue to pick, or scars that fester, please consider working with a trauma therapist on a journey toward healing. I’ve listed a few resources I have found helpful and also some sources of encouragement, direction and comfort. The song by Common Hymnal, He Has Time, has been especially meaningful to me as a victor over sexual abuse. You can find it under Encouragement in both the Teen and Adult sections.

   You matter. Your pain matters. Your freedom matters. I encourage you to take a step towards change.