The Mark

Cold and alone, foreign and unknown
These seem to be the lives we have known
Stumbling and falling, crying and calling
Into the dark where no one hears or sees
Holding so tight, scared in the night
We held the pieces of our lives
Until our own grip caused it all to fall apart
We were left to pick up the pieces
Stumbling before we ever knew where to start

What is it about the mark we all seem to think we bear
It’s like the scarlet letter branded for all to see
It’s been bonded so deep into our hearts and minds
Scarred for life, that we see no way of being set free
We hold our lives like we grip the edges of glass
And all we have to show are the scars it leaves
Our own blood we spill, and a trail of shards

And it all falls apart…

We lay on the floor surrounded by our tears of despair
The strength to pick ourselves up once again is no longer there
In the midst of tattered clothes, lives, and dreams
The scarlet letter remains branded upon the breast

Until the unthinkable happens next…

It was like looking in a mirror and seeing ourselves covered with blood
The scarlet letter had covered us from head to toe
And as quickly as it came, so quickly it went away
Upon the face and hands of One we seemed to know
He had taken the mark of shame upon Himself
And had washed us white as snow

Learning to walk, beginning to talk
Gaining strength to stand in the midst of the fall
Finding healing in places, drinking of His graces
Experiencing the life of the redeemed
By the mark of His name, we no longer bear shame
of the scarlet letter we always knew
Eyes to look around, ears to hear the sound
Of the One who’s always been calling
The One once familiar now becomes our Savior
Finding Him endless in power and in grace
And looking into the mirror, we begin to see Him face to face

This is the One whom we have been destined to know