Story time

I have scars all over my face. And many on my body. From years of cystic acne.

This has shaped my heart in a beautiful & strong way. I’ve had to navigate all kinds of judgment because of my skin ~ from Carolina is ugly to not taking good care of herself to she's on drugs. This has broken my heart open into being much deeper, clearer & compassionate because of all the hurtful words I’ve received. It has set me on a journey of finding worth, beauty, & goodness beyond & in my body, just as it is. In a culture that places so much value on the body’s appearance being a certain way, this has been meaningful, healing work for me. And it is my deepest hope to pass on this unconditional love I’ve found for myself to you, for yourself.

Over the years of navigating & processing different & untrue judgements due to my skin, I have found the :: trueness :: of real beauty. I know now, in a deep {{feeling}} way that true beauty is in the heart. It's how you are as a human being, and nothing outwardly can change this beauty. It is one of steel. It's infinite. A beauty everlasting that changes the hearts of others & brings more light to our shared humanity. It is a beauty all-powerful. It is a beauty that reaches into God.

But scars & cystic acne are not un-beautiful by any means. Cystic acne only means your body is struggling in some way & not getting what it needs, which can often feel like a mysterious puzzle to understand & begin to shift, but your worth & beauty have nothing at all to do with your health. Cystic acne also does not mean you are not taking care of yourself. It’s a condition that can take time to heal & can be a very gradual process, even when you are giving your body everything it needs to get better. On the flip side, sometimes cystic acne gets better very quickly when your body has what it needs. Every person & their healing journey is entirely unique. We cannot compare one to the next. We can learn from & be inspired by one another, but we must not use comparison to diminish & demean ourselves. This will never help us rise.

You are not wrong, bad, or ugly if you have acne or scars, or any kind of skin condition. Or any health condition that effects your body for that matter. You are God’s child, with a divine blueprint, created {{on purpose}}, just as you are. If you’re paralyzed, if you’re scarred, if you’re missing a leg, if you have a syndrome you came into this world with, if you’re missing teeth, you are beautiful & deserve to be loved, by yourself & others. And God & your invisible loved ones see you as the most beautiful & perfect creation, no matter what you or others see. They cry at your beauty, & all that your unique presence means to this journey of humanity.

But ~ if you struggle to love yourself as you are, please know you are loved in those feelings too. We are tightly woven into a wounded human world that largely pressures us into limiting standards that are devoid of true, diverse life. They are dead ideals. And the work of unbinding ourselves from that has just begun. So we must be ever so gentle with ourselves & others as we slowly expand & wake up from these wounded dreams.

{Side note ~ Accepting your holy beauty does not mean inner & outer movement toward greater health translates to not fully accepting & loving yourself as you are. You can love your skin in any state & also strive to help it feel as best as it can be.

And ~ those who choose (or have a true need) to change their body through artificial means (like surgery for example) are no less beautiful, worthy, or wrong for choosing that.}