Embracing the Journey: Finding Blessings in Scars

• By candidasullivan
• December 26, 2024
• No Comments

Thank you, Amniotic Band Syndrome!

I never thought those words would come out of my mouth. How can I actually be grateful for something that has taken so much from me? How can I view the tragedy of what happened to my body before birth as a blessing?

It has taken me years.

I want you to know that I didn’t always feel this way. This perspective has taken me many, many years to adapt. Because, at first, the damage to my hands and feet seemed too painful. The bands took some of my fingers and my ability to walk without pain most days and left me with scars and insecurities. It was so hard growing up different. It was so hard to face life with what felt like a cloud of gloom overshadowing me.

I got fired once because of my scars and the challenges they caused me. People have rejected me because of them. I’ve been laughed at, mocked, teased, bullied, and shamed. I’ve cried so many tears because of it.

Because, at times, I just wanted to feel whole. I didn’t want people to compare their lives to mine and always put me down.

Then, one day, it all aligned for me, and God helped me see my circumstances with a new understanding. I lived. I am alive to love and be loved. My scars are not a curse. I am blessed.

Living with Amniotic Band Syndrome has given me more than what it has taken from me. It has changed me. To thrive in this world, I’ve had to change my mindset. I’ve had to become someone who can take tragedy and grow through it. Life has thrown some pretty ugly obstacles in my way, and God has shown me how to overcome my circumstances each time.

This type of mindset is not given to anyone but earned. We have to go through the trials to reap the rewards. Throughout my life, I’ve had to figure it out. It took me approximately 30 years to figure out how to peel a potato. I couldn’t hold it with one hand and peel it with the other one. But through perseverance, I figured it out. After doing this enough times, I have faith that God will help me with my struggles—if I don’t give up.

My hardships have brought me closer to my Lord. I need Him every single day. When life knocks me down, and I don’t know how to get up on my own, the Lord shows me how to look up and get up. There is joy in getting back up.

If I could go back and change it, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t prevent the bands from attacking me, and I wouldn’t prevent the damage they have done to my body because it would change me. As it is, I have had to develop the mindset of an overcomer. And I am incredibly grateful for the person the scars have forced me to become.

Without the scars, there would be no stories, wisdom, or knowledge to share and no opportunities to help others. God’s reasons for giving me scars are more significant than not. So, I trust Him and thank Him for doing what is best for me and for choosing me to do this work.

My blessings greatly exceed my heartache.