The Scarred Beloved

In the morning, 
I awake
Enveloped in Your arms,
Raptured by Your love.
Your eyes share
A pain, but bestow
A joy I hope to eternally know.

But what mar is this
Upon Your face?  A scar
That was to be my own.
Everything You say and do
Declares delight, but
The brokenness You bear
Condemns me.  A reminder how
You laid down Your perfect image,
Took up my imperfect being.

The elders can share the truth:
Even in our union,
I fail to be faithful.
Yet, You clasp my body
Tighter, unconvinced
By a man's charge, who also bears
Secret sins of his own.

You pronounce the pain
Was worth it.
Nevertheless,
I know the truth of my soul.
Do You?
The darkness witnesses
The depravity of my intentions;
A criminal in my own home.

Will the past cease to haunt?
Convinced it will die 
When my sins cease to exist.
But Your hands grasp my face,
Your eyes look at me
Without remorse
For the choice You made.

You remain faithful,
Even when I become faithless.
Tempted to divorce
Due to my shame.
You refute; You will never
Agree to be separated.

No matter how broken
I feel I remain,
Your wholeness continues 
To hold; a security
That refuses to be severed.
So, as I fall, I fall
Into You.  I rest assured
You will never leave.

Your love increasingly 
Convinces me
My now is not my end.
I guess 'til death do us part.
And with no death,
There is no end.
I guess we're stuck together.
I like the sound of that,
My scarred Beloved.





*Taken from the wife's perspective in the parable found in The Man with the Cut-Off Nose (Honest To God Letters: The Man with the Cut-Off Nose)