Overcoming Scars

 Cheryl’s face is scarred by a rare condition. She’s been to numerous physicians and two Mayo Clinics to no avail. The scarring on her face continues. No one is bothered by Cheryl’s scars, not even Cheryl anymore. I met her at the beach last week. She’s an avid stand up paddle-boarder (SUP) and SUP instructor. I’m a beginner. Seeing my obvious need for instruction she told me three things to do and had me standing up and paddling with confidence in a few short minutes, praising my improved technique.

Over the course of our stay at the beach we visited with Cheryl and she shared her overcoming journey. She transitioned from being extremely sensitive and self-conscious about her face to acceptance and not letting it stop her from pursuing what she wants to do. It was easy to observe that she’s passionate about helping others enjoy the pleasures and fitness benefits of SUPing. Her enthusiasm and passion for helping others is contagious and at the beach she’s frequently called the paddle board lady.

Some of us have physical scars like Cheryl. Others of us have emotional scars. And some of us have both. We’ve all had pain in our lives. But we have a choice. We can allow those scars and pains to be debilitating. Or we can be like Cheryl. We can overcome and not let our scars define us.

Let’s be Overcomers.

Your Encouraging Friend,

Mark Hemingway from TheEncourageTeam.com