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The Faceless Man
by Larry Carter I met a man one day who had no face. His head, as far as I could tell, was a mass of skin, hair, and cranium. Should he have told me his name, I would not have been able to greet him for he had no ears. In addition (or subtraction I should say), he had no eyes, no mouth, and no nose. Only his thoughts kept him company. Trapped within his mind, I wondered how he kept his sanity. Unable to express himself through speech or sound, his only form of communication were his hands. His mind devised things that ordinary thoughts could not contain; he needed nothing else, it seemed. Yet he did. Encased in his head was a hole, and this hole longed for something to fill it. O, how he wished to tell someone; O, how he wished and dreamed to express his feelings in a form that others might accept. Sleep was affecting him, for he writhed in his bed at night in frustration. If only he could see himself to fill this hole that tortures his very soul. The porch outside his apartment was dark and damp from the rain. The musky musk of things raised the humidity just beyond annoyance. It was almost nighttime, not that he could tell, and he sat on the porch step conjuring things inside his brain, when he sensed something. It was a dimmed sense, but not too dim for him to not feel it. This sensation soon became overwhelming. He felt the presence of God shining from a passing Christian out winning the lost. This is what he was longing for. He clapped his hands as loud as he could, beckoning for him to share something with him. This Christian looked backward as he as he was about to pass. This Christian was me. I turned to face the man who had no face. I didn't know for certain if his attention was directed toward me, but I had a feeling. Casually, I walked over to him, noticing the beat down condition of the building. At first glance to him, I did wonder how he breathed. I managed to say "Hello," with an uncertain look. I felt as if I needed to do something for him. His purpose of clapping at me was most certainly not only to say 'hello'. He grasped my shirt with both hands, and I looked directly at what would've been his face. His arms were shaking and sweaty; fear came for a moment, but left after I was sure it was all fine. What could he want from me? As I stared into the skin that covered his front, it almost seemed as if he was talking to me. He said, "Fill this empty hole in my head, sir. I wish to shine as bright as you do." I knew at that moment he needed Jesus Christ. With uncertainty in my motion, I pulled out my Bible from my pocket. A verse came to mind as I stared into the blankness of his skull. It was Psalm 27:9. I carefully flipped the pages through and read, "Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help;" As I read the final words in the verse, I began to see something emerging from beneath the skin. I continued, "leave me not, neither forsake me," his face was taking form into a nose, mouth, and ears! I began to sweat; he shook me again and again, urging me to read on. Tears were trickling down my cheek; his eyes could barely be seen bulging from under the transparency of his skin. I finished, "O God of my salvation." His eyes showed bright as the full moon shining upon us. With tears streaming from his fresh pupils, his mouth looked new and young, while his nose and ears were crisp as the fresh grass. He cried, "God, help me! Fill the void that was once the being of my skull!" He touched his hand over his mouth astonished at what was happening. He pointed his eyes, that were once nothing but skin, right at mine. He stared at me as if I was an angel named Mercy. With drops of the purest water streamlining his gentle face, he cried in a whisper, "Please." I led him on that dark night to the place where he would never turn his face again. I led him to Jesus Christ. With prayer on his lips, he asked the Lord to be his Savior. He would one day stand face to face with God in heaven. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;" Luke 2:30-31 Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |