I Take off the MASK!

We have a skewed vision of what’s beautiful –
we see rich people who flaunt their wealth
and we admire them for their riches
but we don’t see their arrogance
or the way they insult the poor
who could barely feed themselves

We have a skewed vision of what’s beautiful –
we see people who don’t take their relationships seriously
and we envy them
we see them as gods and goddesses to be desired
but we don’t see the way they break other people’s hearts

We have a skewed vision of what’s beautiful –
we see powerful men who assert their strength over others
and we applaud them for their conquests in war
but we don’t see the people they have hurt or killed
or how they chose violence over mercy

What is something beautiful for you?
will rough hands that labored to feed their children do?
will scars borne out of sacrifice to defend one’s beloved do?

There are wrinkles that show wisdom
and meekness that show great strength,
there is a gentleness that far exceeds
violence in power
and there is a silence that tells us more
than boastful voices ever do

How about you?
What is something beautiful for you?

There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.
He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.

-ISAIAH 53:2-5

There are times when I feel tired…
tired of hoping
tired of trying to make things happen
to make sense of things
to make sense of where I am
right now.

And when nothing works
I go back to where I was
to places I had been
and I try to bring back
the happy memories
times when I was
where I was supposed to be.

But sometimes memories are not enough
to feed one’s heart,
for soon I also get tired
of remembering
tired of looking back
tired of not being able
to bring back
the happy days before.

And in my tiredness
all I could do is rest –
one step at a time,
one breath,
one thought,
one heartbeat,
that is all that I could do,
and I guess that’s enough
for a while,
until I get my strength back,
my will,
my meaning,
my life.

There’d be times when you’d mess up big
times you’d fail
times you’d trip so hard
you’d get knocked down bad
Times like that you’d want to quit
but BEGIN AGAIN.

There’d be times when you’d say
“Enough is enough,
I’ve really had it now,
why bother trying?”
Yeah, there’d be times you’d get so tired
but still, BEGIN AGAIN.

There’d be times you’d think
you’ve just lost everything
times you’ve risked it all
and got back nothin’
Times like that you’d feel
everything you’ve worked so hard for
were in vain, but BEGIN AGAIN.

Begin again,
try again,
believe again,
love again.

There’d be a second wind,
there’d be another star,
there’d be another hand,
to help you rise again.

Don’t start quitting,
never stop dreaming.
A new tomorrow waits
for those who dare –
to BEGIN AGAIN.

There are times when I feel
as though nobody knows
what I’m going through –
how sad it is, how empty
how I struggle with pain
that almost overpowers me.
Yes there are times when I’m tempted
to think I’m all alone,
but GOD SEES.

There are times when
I really thought I was doing something good
for someone I love
but then that loved one
misunderstands
and I feel as though every effort
I’ve made were in vain.
Yes, it felt so bad
and it seemed all my works were useless,
but GOD SEES.

How often have we wanted
others to see who we truly are
or what’s really going on
deep down inside,
but try as we might
we are either rejected
or passed by unnoticed
as though we didn’t matter,
as though we weren’t there?

For all such times
and for all such hurts
may we always remember
that though people may fail to see
and may fail to know,
there is One who always knows,
who knows us so intimately.
Everyone else’s eyes may go blind,
but GOD SEES.