Prompted Writing

I awoke from a nearly restless sleep. Dipping in and out of consciousness, the night had been one of my longest in some time. Rolling to the edge of my bed and swinging my feet over the covers and onto the ground, my body felt like stone. I stumbled through the dirty clothes and shoes on the floor to the bathroom door. I turned on the light and looked up into the mirror. My face was not my own. I stood astonished, jaw hung open, eyes wide. Yet as I looked in the mirror at my reflection, as I studied the unfamiliar face staring back at me, all I saw was a cracked grey sculpture of my head.

Upon further examination, I found this new face to be of uncanny resemblance. Although the stone was gray and lacked in color what my face truly portrayed, it looked as I felt. Small cracks exposed my aging features, the lines across my forehead, the acne scars on the edge of my chin. Deep dark strokes underneath my eyes seemed to appear as smokey clouds creeping over the holes where my eyes should be. And a tired grin spread across the stone.

All of these elements combined to show me the haggard state of life that I had been living in. No one thing could explain it, no one feature could answer the question as to why. The only explanation was inside. I knew in my heart what was bringing me down. Late nights, too much T.V., rude words spoken to others, judging glances, mistakes I knew I was making. Taking prayer for granted, not opening my heart to the spirit that longed to dwell within me. The list could go on for miles and miles.

I turned on the faucet and let the water run warm. I puddled the water in my hands and began to splash my face with it. As I did, the stone began to wear away and my skin showed through. Bits at a time, until my true features appeared. Thankful for forgiveness, and grateful for the one who made it possible, I now had the chance to start again.

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