My Beauty Mark

Have you ever cried when you opened a birthday present?  Well, I have.

When I was 17 years old, my Granny Pug gave me one of the most special birthday gifts I have ever received.  It was not money, jewelry, clothes or giftcards.  It was a photo album.

Little did she know, I'd be traveling the world for a year. Now this specific album means so much more to me. 

The first few pictures were of me as a baby.  I had never seen these pictures before.
 

This is my Aunt Jan and I.  
So, that little red mark on my left cheek… That was 90% cancerous when I was born.  It's my birth mark.  

Oh, don't worry, I was still a happy baby. 

But, my parents knew I had to have this birth mark removed.

This was after plastic surgery.  

Here I am with my beautiful mommy and big brother, Drew.  It looks like I got hit with a baseball.

Thankfully the swelling and redness went down and it is just a scar now.

I grew up becoming very self-conscious of this scar.  I mean, hello… It's right smack dab on my cheek.  The first thing someone sees is usually your face.  Good news is that I'm almost always wearing a huge grin, so that's usually what people notice first! 🙂  

When I finally started wearing a little make-up, I would try to cover it up.  That was a stupid idea.  I think every girl should stick with the natural look, so they can let their inner beauty shine through.  

I have had some friends and very brutally honest little kids ask what "that thing is" on my cheek.  My good friends thought it would be funny to make up a horror story of how a lion attacked me and this was my only scratch.  That never happened.  I'm a terrible lier.  So, I just told the truth.

The more and more I had to tell people what this scar was, the more ugly I felt.  

Now, I'm over that.  When you have Jesus in you, you can feel beautiful no matter what you look like.  To be honest, I like having this scar now.  I am unique and not anywhere near perfect.  But guess what?  Jesus still loves me.  That's what matters.  

Just because you look like a Barbie or Ken doll on the outside, does not mean you are radiantly glowing from within. 

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.