A few weeks ago, I discovered an old, black journal I used to write stories and poetry in when I was about twelve or thirteen years old. It also contained scribbles and drawings, but it drew a long, sad smear of events that influenced me in negative ways. Although I’m not (and never was) “emo” or “gothic”, And I don’t like writing sob-stories or anything depressing for that matter. I feel that there’s an important lesson to be learnt from this less than colourful portrayal.

I flipped through the pages and found all sorts of coded writing. It took me a while to remember the logic behind my paranoid ravings, but I eventually solved the riddles and discovered a goldmine of entries and even a poem that I’ve been working on. I remembered finishing it and writing it on the last page with a pen that left grooves in the seemingly blank, black page; And This is how it went…

MIRROR

Jagged Mirrors, Watch the Edges! For the scars they leave will stay forever.

Faded Mirrors, Clouded with hate. And unlike emotions, they won’t dissipate.

Shrieking mirrors, Silence their call! Or they might silence you, Once and for all.

All of these mirrors, are streaked with My blood. They won’t haunt you again, their deeds are undone.

All of these mirrors, now cower in shame. For when they were streaked, it removed all your blame.

I stand in their place. Tell me, what do you see? Instead of defeat, there is……….

  That was all I could make out, but I remember feeling discouraged and turning to the back of the book and holding it at such an angle that the light glinted off the edges of the engraved characters.

Back then, I knew I’d get through the emotions of adolescence, but I didn’t know how long it would take, but what I did know was that the end would justify the pain it took to get me there.

Now you might or might not have a black or brown journal you used to keep as a teenager, under your bed or in plain sight. But even the bravest among us experience insecurity (some people just hide it better…) . But make sure your mirror reflects the eternal, because a jagged mirror hurts the bearer, a faded mirror distorts reality, and there is no such thing as a shrieking mirror; these critics dwell only in our minds.

The eternal provides eternal security, love, and affection….

I conclude in the words of KJ-52 (from his song “picture”)                           

“And you can exchange your old pictures right now for Him
and you can trade it all in for what he’s down to give
I put the pictures in her hands see it comes down to this
which ones you holding on to, yours or His…”