Truth

We all have struggles. Sometimes the same struggles resurface repeatedly. We think we’ve got our minds fixed, and then it hits us all over again. Something I’ve been trying to learn these last few years is determining truth from lies. The enemy will keep coming at us where we’re weak. Our minds are a good place to start, and the world tends to reinforce those thoughts. But we must remember to have a mind like Christ, to think what God thinks of us. That’s what this next poem is about.

Truth (originally written March 7, 2014)

It is hard to look in the mirror

when I see an unpainted face

full of imperfections.

I am not beautiful enough.

Lie.

 

When I sing, I compare myself to others

who amaze people with their gift,

who are not afraid to share it with the world.

God does not want my praise.

Lie.

 

I look at my body and think,

“I will never get to where I want to be,”

pushing myself to be better,

but always feeling like I am not thin enough.

Lie.

 

Working hard at school

I still lack confidence despite the results,

thinking I will never be like them,

that I cannot make a difference.

Lie.

 

One lie after another finds a corner in my mind

until the light of Christ permeates the darkness.

The Father asks, “Do you not know that I have made you?

That I created you with a purpose?”

 

My purpose is not about me,

but about Him.

The world says I need to look and sound a certain way,

but God’s kingdom is not of this world.

 

Jesus came to declare truth to all men,

to be a sacrifice of love and forgiveness.

He did not care about the outside of a person

but the heart.

Truth.

 

A Christian concerns herself with God,

not the praises of men.

She stands against heresies

and proclaims the gospel.

Truth.

 

When I look in the mirror, what do I see?

When I sing to the Lord, what do I sing?

When I work hard, what is my goal?

When I clothe myself, what do I wear?

Truth.

© Lauren Heiligenthal