Look in the mirror. Notice, who is staring back at you? Do you like this person? Is the person in the mirror someone you respect? Is there light that emanates from your face? Is there anger that emanates from your face? Is this the face of a person of good character?
You earn your face as each year of your life passes. You earn every line, every wrinkle and every character-reflecting attribute of your face.
Think back to the face of someone you adore. Why do you love them so much? Picture their face. Is this a character you will always remember? Look for the light that comes from that face and notice how it makes you smile both inside and out. What is it about that face that creates these warm feelings inside you? Think about what this person means to you and what actions this person has taken that make him or her precious to you.
Every person’s face is composed of all the elements that have faceted his or her life. A person’s face will tell you a great deal about them, especially if you take an extra moment to study the subtle cues that emanate from that face. It is more than just watching someone’s eyes.
Innocence in the face of someone can mean several things. For some it means, that no matter what their age, they have the fragile innocence of absolute faith. That faith may not be backed with wisdom because this soul may not be quite that advanced yet, but it does mean that the person trusts that they will be all right.
Pain in someone’s face may have come from an unhealed broken heart. The pain in their countenance may not yet have turned to bitterness. Right now it is just pain. Perhaps later, if healing is not achieved, the bitterness of injustice may set in.
Pain may also be the physical pain of an injury that may not be able to be healed in this lifetime. Chronic pain creates muscles frozen in place as the person endlessly and uselessly tries to alleviate that, which cannot be healed.
The perennially laughing person, with the imbedded laugh lines around their mouth and eyes may have found that laughter is an effective way to hide pain and hurt. That person may also believe that they can readily help others by a constant upbeat demeanor. This person never wants to deliberately bring anyone else ‘down’ with his or her own issues.
Some people only look at you when they have to, keeping their face somewhat privately and uniquely concealed with a hat, bangs, hair, or huge beard. Some never want you to see how time and experience have shaped their face. These individuals embrace the endless torture of trying to change their face into an artificially perfect visage through the punishing agonies of plastic surgery.
Fear often lines some faces. Fear of not being loved or of never fully feeling safe because trust was violated for this person at an early age. Fear and disappointment are overbearing teachers.
Souls who have chosen to face their worst fears and found themselves stronger than they ever thought possible, will unabashedly face you with a kind and open face. They have no agenda. They may be touched by sadness in their path of life but it has not made them avoid living.
The wise ones among us have a light that emanates from them when they smile. Their very ordinariness makes them approachable. They give you what they can give you out of love and respect. You can be peaceful in their presence.
Time and experience shape our faces. Our responses to the passage of time and the coping with life experiences determine how we will face the world. Ultimately, the very character and description of our soul is etched in the face we present to the world. The haunting face of Mother Theresa was the face of the dynamic embrace of time and the noble acceptance of human experience. Truly, hers was the face of staggering character.
The next time you look in the mirror, notice the character looking back, not the lines, wrinkles or imperfections. Let the face of dynamic character be the face you choose to see in yourself and others. Once you are able to see that, then let the soul of compassion that lives within you beam back at them.
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