In The Old Days
Before It Was The Thing
To Spackle And Fill
Dermabrade
And Do Botox
It Used To Be Said Of A Person
With A Weathered Face
That
His Her Life Is Written In Their Face!
I Was Always Enthralled With This Idea
And Really Loved The Road Maps Produced!
I Was Am Enamored With The Lived-In Face!
The Face Marked
Marred
With The Evidence Of A Life Lived
With Its Trials
Tribulations
Hopes Achieved
Hell Endured
Victories Won
Failures Overcome
Pleasures Enjoyed
Pains That Annoyed
Satisfaction In Arriving At Salvation
Sorrow For Sin That From Jesus Drew You Away
Pride When Children Excelled And Kept Shame At Bay
Love In The Home
Joy In The Lord
Worry That Made One Humble Self Before God In Prayer
Triumph That Made One Sing Praises To God
Confidence In The Living Word Spoken From The Sacred Desk
Knowledge That Peace And Rest Are Found In Him Who Loves Us Well And Best
Assurance That He Who Paid Our Price Will Carry Us Home Across The Divide
Peace In Knowing That Our Holy God Is Real And Alive
AND
That We Can Ever Always
What's In Our Hearts
To Him Confide!
There Is Faith In Him
For
The Living And The Loving
The Crying And The Dying
AND
There Is The Assurance Of The Knowledge
That The Record Of Life
Shows That We Have Confidence
In The Finished Work Of Christ On The Cross!
There Is No Fearing
That Hope For Heaven Is Loss
For The Living Lord
Is
The First
The Final Boss
AND
We Are Satisfied
With How God Made Us
Knowing That If We Sow To Eternity
Our Promised
Purchased
New Life Will Be
Youthful
IMMORTAL
ETERNAL
Unmarred
Unmarked
PERFECTION!
Alas ...
The Face Of Today
Without Rhyme Or Reason
Is Plain
Plastic
Ever New
Always Tight
Severely Unmarred
BUT
Still Marked:
- Knows Not The Living God!
- Never Lived In For Real!
- Never Had A Root Crop Just Shale!
- Never Been Tilled Nor Irrigated!
- Never Been Manured!
- Never Had A Waiting For Any Reason!
- Never Known A True Growing Season!
How Sad
That To Show
You Have Lived Honestly In Your Body
Is To Show
To The Wicked World
That You Are
A Penniless Nobody!
God Bless The Child
Reared
To Invite
The Spirit Of The Holy God
In His Inside
To Abide!
*********
Better A Warm Face
Of
Life-Carved Flesh
Than A Factory Face
Of
Brittle Cold Porcelain Perfection!