wipe

i heard a song today entitled “mark of cain” and it inspired some thinking. here are the lyrics.

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some people need to believe
that seven days is all that it took
and on the eighth day he came down, he said
well, okay, so let’s take a look.

now i’m no great believer
and you’re no saint
but i put you up there on a pedestal
and i made you into something that you ain’t
i made you into something that you ain’t.

some people, well they thought that the earth was flat
some people still think there’s gold in them hills
and some people, well they get their kicks from television
and some people do it with pills
and some people think the end of the world is nigh
and they do what they have to do just to get by.

but i can see clearly now
to the end of the world
it’s where the land meets the sky
it’s where the land meets the sky.

you bathed me in light and you filled me with hope
your blazing blue eyes, like an up periscope
you fixed me in your gaze and you helped me to see
and you gave me air when i needed to breathe
no need to visit that planet called pain
as this time i won’t shrink away
i went and got myself a tattoo

and it’s not the mark of cain
it’s not the mark of cain
it’s not the mark of cain
it’s not the mark of cain

©2009 russell monk
>>>

in scripture, cain was marked by god. a mark that was permanent, unremovable and easily identifiable. in life, we (all) are “marked” as well. the marks might be physical wounds. or emotional wounds. they could be the consequences of our own bad decisions. or the decisions of others. they might even be known by the name of shame. and yet, i think it’s possible for us to wash these marks away. to get rid of them. sure, they might come back, but they last only as long as we allow them. once we heal, we actually have the ability to wipe them away and start clean.

i wonder just how many of us do wipe them away. and how many of us continue to carry them around for no good reason.

reminder

i woke up with a swollen lip a couple of weeks ago and spent the next several days visiting the closest urgent care, buying and taking prescription drugs, and fighting the embarrassment of looking like i had been punched in the face. (i was mostly concerned about looking credible in an upcoming presentation.)

i soon discovered that it was an abscess and eventually had to have it drained. not the most pleasant experience, but not unbearable either. and it was at that moment – walking out of the clinic, holding a large piece of gauze to my lip – that i remembered friends i had made around the world, who have been living with bumps, burns, swelling, scars and a whole host of other visible ailments for years.

i quickly realized how important it is for me to discard the temporary packaging that god had given his creation and to work that much harder at discovering the gift within. not only with others, but also with myself. a great reminder.

in the know

real knowledge
is to know the extent
of one's ignorance.

confucius