The World Needs the Miraculous, Fragile, Scarred, Resilient You

Gold Is Malleable, Stronger with Iron

24K gold—so pure that it is often used in high-end jewelry, in religious objects, in decorative art and luxury watches. To the person with the trained eye, they can easily tell by the deep, rich yellow tones if the object they are holding is 24K gold. Some seasoned experts can even determine if the object is 10K or 18K and what alloys were added to it simply by honing in on the texture, the colors and even the feel. Technology has improved the process of mixing alloys to the gold to make it appear closer to the 24K gold, but the trained eye can always tell.

There is no substitute for 24K gold. This is why it is reserved for the most prestigious, most revered, most sacred of uses. The pure gold chalice sitting at the front of the church each Sunday. It is rarely if ever used and only touched by those ordained by church authorities to do so. Its unmistakable glow shimmers from the light filtering in from the stained-glass windows, lending to its austerity and sacredness. The message is clear—the presence of the Divine deserves the presence of purity symbolized through relics too sacred to be touched by just anyone. 

24K gold is precious yet malleable. There is a reason this type of gold can be found in artifacts and statues in spaces where they are protected from the touch of humans or the wear and tear of everyday life. Gold, as sought after as it is for its beauty and purity, is a metal that will fail if it is exposed to circumstances that are not ideal for its characteristics. It will scratch when it comes in contact with sharp objects. And its shape will literally change when pressure is exerted on it.

This is why those who are entrusted with forming gold into its final form—artists, dentists, jewelry designers and so on—must understand how it will ultimately be used. This ensures that the desired outcome will not only be molded into perfection but that the object will deliver the desired outcome. For instance, using gold in the mouth as fillings or teeth replacements without adding alloys to strengthen the gold’s properties would be a mistake because pure gold could not withstand the force and pressure of everyday chewing.

24K gold is sought after for its purity and preciousness. Yet when gold is needed to perform under pressure, it will fail without the addition of less-precious metals.

Gold is precious alone. 

Gold is stronger when blended.

And so it is with you, Beloved.

And me. 

As newborns, we are precious. A miracle. The circle of life on full display as those entrusted with our care protected us from danger and ensured our needs were met. 

Because we were indeed precious, and yet so fragile. It was so easy to see this spectrum just by looking at us. We didn’t have the ability to hold up our own heads let alone take care of our basic needs in order to survive. Without those humans protecting us, we simply would not survive. 

In a blink of an eye that all changes. And if we’re lucky enough to have survived our childhood, we become adults.  

Now, who are we? 

Are we a miracle? 

Are we precious?

Are we sacred?

The answer is yes to all those things, but by the time we arrive at the adult portion of our lives, we often have forgotten that. The days of others gazing upon us as one of life’s precious miracles are long behind us. Between the bookends of our arrival here and what our life is now is a lot of living.

A lot.

Some days we love to replay in our minds, for they bring us such joy. Other days we run quickly away from to forget, for they bring us such heartache. Still others hold memories of loved ones who did the gazing, and memories of their passing. And with their passing went the ones who saw you as their miracle—their precious, sacred being who they would move mountains for to ensure we survived.

In some ways they succeeded, for we are here. But no matter how protected we were as the precious newborn, no one arrives at adulthood completely unscathed from the scars of living. 

No one. 

When we are born, we are like pure gold. Untouched by the world around us, we are full of potential, shining brightly with the promise of what we might become. But as we grow and experience the world, we are inevitably scarred and contorted by our experiences.

We face challenges, disappointments, and heartaches that leave their mark on us, just as a jeweler might add alloys to gold to make it stronger and more resilient. And yet, it is these very scars that make us who we are. They form the unique texture of our lives and give us the strength and resilience we need to face the challenges that lie ahead.

Like gold that has been tempered by fire, we are forged by our experiences. We are strengthened by the hardships we have faced and tempered by the lessons we have learned. And just as gold is made more beautiful by the addition of other metals, so too are we made more complete by the people and experiences that have shaped us.

As we move through life, we carry our scars with us, each one a testament to the struggles we have overcome, and a reminder of the strength we have gained. And it is with this strength that we are able to be resilient, resolute, courageous, and brave. We are able to face the challenges that lie ahead, knowing that we have already faced and overcome so much.

Let us embrace our scars, and the challenges that have shaped us. 

Let us remember that, like gold, we are at our strongest and most beautiful when we have been tempered by fire. 

Let us move forward with courage and determination, knowing that we are strong enough to overcome anything that comes our way.

Let us remember that our outer shell reveals little of who we really are.

Let us be unafraid to show the world the authentic us that lives behind the scars.

For it isn’t your birth that made you sacred.

It is your living and choosing to press onward regardless of what life threw at you.

The bold, beautiful, brave, broken, miraculous you.

That is who the world needs.

For you are indeed sacred and Holy just as you are.

Never forget—you are indeed a miracle.