:. scarred .:

I'm not a People magazine-type of person. I don't really care which celebrities are sleeping with whom, or who just went into rehab. And I certainly hadn't planned on posting about Michael Jackson. But a recent headline on Drudge jumped out at me, compelling me to blog.

It seems the people performing the autopsy on Jackson noted that without makeup, there was significant scarring on his face. That doesn't come as any great surprise, given all the plastic surgery. But I was struck by how that statement sums up the human condition.

We are afraid to show the world who we really are, so we carefully construct masks that keep everyone at a safe distance. Many of us have deep hurts, but we cover our scars with makeup; we don't want to appear weak or needy. Or we are simply afraid that we won't "measure up" to some standard or other that we have set.

Wendell Berry speaks of the "bloodied and the bewildered", a good description of many in our world. No one gets through life without some heartache, and where there is suffering, there will be scars. When will we learn to be transparent with our hurts? On the other hand, when will we learn to help those in need rather than judge them? (or worse, turn our backs on them?)

We are told to 'weep with those who weep'. We are told to 'bear one another's burdens'.
Let's be willing to remove the makeup, take off the mask, and be REAL with one another.