Behind this face

Before you is a face. A face in a moment of jubilee. In a moment of rejoicing. But you have yet to see what lies beyond the moment. Behind the face.

There is so much more to one than what lies on the surface. So much more than what is proximal to the human soul, to the degree that some of what exists can never be uttered or fully understood.

Behind this face lies exhaustion and a sense of deep overwhelm. Unseen battles have been fought tirelessly over weeks, months, and years, culminating in a drought of the soul, or what some may call ‘burnout.’

Behind this face lies insecurity prompted by the unknown and the dregs of motivation that ran dry during the journey. An empty cup, one that is slowly being refilled for the next season.Behind this face lies anxiety. Anxiety about the past. The present. The future. Feelings that gnaw on the inside and endanger the sunbeams of joy dancing across the victor’s face.

But the darkness, the fear, the insecurity, will never prevail. For simultaneously, behind this face lies resilience, strength, and dignity that grows with each passing day. With it, grows the humility to acknowledge that perfection is elusive and the enemy of success. With it grows the grace and capacity to recognize that being all things to all people and failing to fail is not a human’s calling; rather the call is to recreation and continual growth. With it grows faith and hope in the presence of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.

Behind this face is the composite of joy, struggle, perseverance, and triumph.

And yet, the bearer of this face is not defined by any of those things. She is defined by the One that saw her through. The One who will continue to hold her face in the palms of His hands and remind her that she is worthy. She is enough. She is loved.

This face is me. 

Joyfully yours,

Bel <3