“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” (1 John 3:1 ESV)
It was evening time. The sky had already gone dark and my eyes were tired from reading my book. I put it down and turned on the television. As usual nothing interesting seemed to be on. I found myself clicking through the channels when I came across an interview show. The host was complimenting a smiling celebrity on how young he still looked at 50 years old. “There are no cracks in this face,” he said. I looked at him and wondered what kind of Hollywood skin care regimen he must be on to look so much younger than me.
I walked to a mirror and looked at my own face. It certainly had its share of wrinkly cracks. The deep ones above my nose spoke of many moments of pain, anger, fear, and frustration over the years. The ones on my forehead had become permanent. They came from a half-century of raising my eyebrows whenever I was curious or deep in thought. When I smiled, though, the most cracks appeared. They curved out around my eyes and lips and looked pretty nice to me. I remembered what Cynthia Ozick had once said: “Our faces become our biographies.” I decided then that I kind of liked my cracks. They told a really good story.
It isn’t just the cracks in our faces that we should embrace, however. It is the cracks in our lives as well. I have learned so much more from my cracks than from the smooth times. It was when my heart was cracked open that the light and love of God was most able to shine into it. It was when the cracks in my life appeared that I learned the most about kindness and compassion, empathy and caring, love and joy.
Learn to love your cracks then. Let the cracks in your face tell your story. Let the cracks in your heart be filled with God’s love and light. Let the cracks in your life help you to become You! And always remember to crack a smile wherever and whenever you can.
Joseph J. Mazze;;a
