A Poem by Linda K. Bridges

Faces. . .passing in the afternoon rush,
carrying stamped expressions,

Like masks of paper-mache–hardened, as stone or clay.
Our souls are reflected. . . etched on Faces. . .
.
Laughter, sorrow, boredom, thoughtfulness, and even surprise–
Each mood captured. . .in our Faces.

In our hurry to pass through this life, do we stop to see?
Do we dare to see faces as our Savior does?

I wonder. . .do we really even care?

A Favorite Pastime

Distracted by people-watching, some days,  little writing gets done on !

People-watching has always been a favorite pastime for me. As I walk through the streets of cities like Vienna, Beijing, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Kathmandu and New Delhi, I enjoy watching people’s expressions reflected in their faces. Laughter, smiles, the furrowed brow: I find myself pondering what might lie behind each one. Is it merely a facade–a showy representation  passing me by? Or is it a misrepresentation plastered on an outer expression intended to conceal something other than what is behind that mask?

As I sit and watch from  a sidewalk cafe I am often struck by the indifference people have to each other as they pass in the crowd. Then I wonder, am I any different?

“Jesus came closer to the city, and when he saw it, he wept over it, saying, “If you only knew today what is needed for peace! But now you cannot see it!” (Luke 19:41-42 GNT)

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. I pray that with God’s Holy Spirit, you will begin to see ‘faces’ differently. Follow God’s prompting and pray for the ones He leads you to pray for. You will be blessed and so will that one prayed for!

Linda in Seoul, Korea,2014

Linda is a career missionary and Bible teacher for more than 35 years, having lived on foreign soil in both Austria and Thailand. Through her ministries she has traveled and taught the Bible in more than 20 countries, most recently in Nepal and Ukraine. She is also an author and children’s storybook illustrator and loves painting, writing poetry, and blogging.

Faces  © Linda K. Bridges. All Rights Reserved.