I hollowed this tree out when I was a kid. The scars still remain decades later. The tree weeped and oozed when I cut behind the dry, craggy, gray bark and into the viable, bright, yellow inner trunk. I left a mess, yet the tree still lives to this day.
When I took the photo, it was the first time in over 20 years that I had considered the tree there as a manifestation of my own life.
Have I been wounded by my past? Yes.
Do the scars still remain? Everyday.
Am I still alive? Without a doubt.
Pain from my life experiences hurts me to the core, yet when I look back, I see a road paved with signs that weren't there before. I see opportunities for growth, and I see testimonies that will benefit others on the same road.
Sadly most of us attempt to hide our most visible wounds as if they cannot be seen through our actions and emotions. What we don't realize is those scars have shaped us into who we are. Hiding them denies us our freedom from them and the freedom of others who remain bound. Oftentimes we do look like what we've been through.
I encourage us (you and me) to reveal our holes, our cracks, and our bleeding spots from our past. They are God's way of giving us a platform to share who we really are. We are all going to live after our most devastating attacks on our spirit and will. However, we always overcome when we show how we got over the pain.
Our trunk may be distorted or damaged, but our roots remain deep and unshakable.
