The Mirror

I saw him standing there, in a doorway covered in glass. Staring at me as if daring me to join him in that retched room he stood in. We stared into each other’s eyes, neither one of us willing to give up the high ground.  I slowly and deliberately lifted my hand to grab his scrawny neck, his hand rose to stop mine. I stared at him with contempt. He stared back with the same resentment. We hated each other, he was everything I hated about myself. Every time I looked into his eyes I found a tortured soul that I had created. Everything I had ever done wrong was clearly reflected when I looked into those blue eyes. My pain was etched on his face. I despised that man, how have I become so cruel, so heartless? What have I done to deserve this? I sunk to the ground in despair, my tormentor followed, as if mocking me. Feeling helpless I pleaded with him to help me, he simply laughed at my tears. I cried out to my God for guidance, but no answer came. There I wept on the cold hard floor unable to look myself in the eye.

I awoke with a jolt, my face plastered up against the glass doorway. I jumped as I saw him staring back at me, my tormentor. We stared at each other for what felt like a million years, yet only lasted a few seconds. Then voice came to my mind. Like nothing I have ever felt before, the voice brought with it a calm like I have never experienced. “Forgive him” the voice whispered. I was shocked, how could I forgive such a terrible person, a person who has done so much evil in his life. “Forgive him” the voice whispered again, cutting me to my very soul. I stared at the reached man before me, and thought of everything I have done. All the wrong I have rot in this world. But as I stared into his eyes I remembered everything good I had done, not only that but what I had already suffered, and that I was forgiven of those things I had done wrong. The only person I needed to forgive now was the boy sitting in front of my, tears streaming down his face. “I forgive you.” I whispered, my voice cracking from the great emotion welling up inside me, an emotion that I had not felt in a very long time. Joy, it sprang from the depths of my soul and filled me until I was brimming with it. I jumped off the floor and turned to face the beaming face of the young man that was in front of me. I looked into his eyes and saw there the great joy that filled me. No longer did I see the great sorrow that had enveloped me, all I could see was forgiveness. I stood before myself a new man.