Behind Closed Doors

She laughs and flashes a bright smile as she replies "I'm good! How are you?" Seemingly easy going and care free, she walks on smiling at everyone she meets. No one would ever guess what's going on underneath. Coming home she greets her family cheerfully and as the evening wears on so her smile stays.
The clock rings out and she says goodnight and walks into her room and shuts the door behind her. As the door closes her smile slips and a heavy sigh escapes her lips. The mask that she wore all throughout the day is taken off and put away. Walking past the mirror she turns to stop and stare as she gazes at her own reflection. The girl in the mirror returns the stare yet she seems so unfamiliar.
A tear slides down her cheek and she sinks to the floor, unable to stand any longer. She wraps her arms around her knees and pulls them to her chest as if to hide her face from the world. She cries out silently and finally begins to weep. All that she held inside of her and everything she had bottled up broke and came pouring out.
Everything inside of her ached and she just wanted to pull the covers over her head and never come out again. She cried out to Jesus knowing that He hears her. Peace and hope flood her broken soul as she crawls into bed, the tear stains still on her cheeks. Her loneliness has left her as she clings to God's promise "I will NEVER leave you nor forsake you."
Morning comes and she rises with the sun. Rays of light pour through her window and she takes in the breathtaking beauty of the sunrise. It's a new day and a new chance. Climbing out of bed she gets ready to face the day. She puts herself together and before walking out her door she glances in the mirror again. The unfamiliarity still lingers in her reflection's stare.
Sighing she reaches out and pulls her mask from the drawer and puts it on once more. She smiles in the mirror as if to reassure herself and with shoulders squared and head held high she plunges back into reality once more. And she wonders if there will ever come a day when the mask will remain in its place in the drawer. But she knows that there is hope with Him at her side. Someone who has promised to be there even in the dead of night. And with Him she is ready to take on another day.