Love Your Differences
Birthmarks. It seems almost everyone has one, even if it is small and barely defined. There are those like my daughter who have a birthmark, scarcely visible between two of her toes; a cousin who has one on his leg; a sibling with one on her arm, and an aunt with one on her stomach. It’s no big deal, really. They are small and hardly noticeable.
Of course, there are those whose birthmarks are a little more conspicuous. A sizeable red shaped mark on the back of the hand; a saucer sized, purple mark on the thigh; or dark brown, tennis sized asteroid shape on the back. Again, while they are more obvious, usually there isn’t a lot of negativity involved with peers or bullying associated with these specific markings.
It’s interesting when watching a police television show when the investigating officers will ask the victim if there we any identifiable mark they could remember. It helps in the investigation when there is something unique which enables the officers to be certain they have the right assailant.
However, when the birthmark is large, dark or unusually colored and in obvious places the owner will sometimes incur staring, unkind remarks or questions about how or why they look as they do. Some will even ask if it’s a tattoo, which in a bizarre sort of way, could be taking the edge off “natural birthmarks.”
Of course, choosing to apply “art” to one’s physical skin is different than being born with it. Often body art is associated with something specific; a story behind it, if you will. It can be a great conversation starter and if a person has intense body art exposed, you can be fairly certain, they aren’t going to mind sharing why.
As a small child, being the wearer of an obvious, unusual birthmark, whether it be dots which cover the upper torso, a large dark patch on the face, a mark that looks like an ocean, tree, airplane or other objects, can test courage and self-esteem.
We are all born with different facial features, some people are tall, others short, thin, heavy, dark or light and a plethora of many levels in between. It is what makes us unique. Being who we are is something to be proud of rather than having fears, doubts and thoughts that we are less than equal to any of our peers. Even as I pen the words, however, I understand there are those who choose to bully those who are different.
Differences, are important! It’s what makes a person special. It can be used as a mark of beauty to make us memorable. It may not always fit the “format” of what we believe to be beautiful; but I contend it should! And I write this with a bit of empathy, because I am someone who has never thought herself beautiful—or even necessarily attractive, and believed for a very long time that I was just “short”—not even petite, which sounds so much nicer! As a youngster, I always thought it would be great to be an airline stewardess (they don’t call them that anymore) but I didn’t fit the criteria because I wasn’t tall enough to reach the overhead bins!
Yes, I am shorter than many of my peers, but I wear a smile with confidence because I finally understood, I am just the way God created me. This is good! I am content with my size and accept it as my “normal!” I hope you can too, regardless of any difference you may have—-or believe you may have!
Photo Credit: https://create.vista.com/photos/birthmark/