You may look at her and think, as Billy Joel said in his song, “She can kill with her smile, she can wound with her eyes.” But do you really know who lives behind the smile? Can you tell what has she been through by looking at her? If you peer into her stormy eyes, you may see a tiny bit of sunlight inside her – the pretty sparkle of innocence. Her angelic and stormy eyes are like a book telling you a story. She may reside in pain of her own making or perhaps her pain is caused by the blind, deluded, and sinful world. Whatever the reason, the pain that she feels is the result of deep wounds which cause her to see things much too clearly as her thoughts wander off the edge of the world. The bruises on her body or her tears may be visible to the people around her, but the wounds in her heart and the scars on her mind are invisible to most. You may think she’s happy but look again – don’t let her painted-on smile fool you. Can you see the scars that are hidden just below the surface? No! Years upon years of practice have made her a master of disguise. Her dreams are not just a fairy tale, they are her reality. No one knows the sadness in her eyes, her lullabies or her goodbyes.

The only place where she finds comfort is in the dark corners where she cries. She feels as if nobody notices when she is gone, and no one even misses her. She knows the teardrops that run down her chin tell the story of her pain to the heavens above. After all, tears are a kind of prayer. They travel to God, when words fail. Her sacred tears are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They are the story of unspeakable love that no one could offer her, except the One whose Spirit is always with her and carries her. In spite of her brokenness, she knows she is blessed, because the God of heaven tells her so. She knows that the lover of her soul keeps track of all her sorrows, wipes away every tear from her eyes, and collects them all in His bottle. God records each one in His book (Psalm 56:8) and He tells her that she is worth far more than rubies. He reminds her to use His word as a sword to fight her battles, instead of her tears.
Do not judge her. She may not tell you her story, but stop for a moment and try to hear her silent cry and listen to what she says with her eyes. Beneath her pain, you will notice the beauty of her loving heart shining brighter than the sparkle in her eyes. Undoubtedly, your heart will weep with her. You’ll want to protect her and others just like her. Sometimes she wonders if there is anyone who can see the kindness in her heart and smile at her like Jesus would. Will you be the one who can gauge the sadness in her gaze and will try to speak the language of her kind heart?
If you see a woman (young or old) who needs your help, whether you’re a man or woman, would you be willing to step out of the shadows and protect her, respect her, and honor her? Be careful and gentle with her because, “Heaven knows her story, for the Lord’s eyes are on her, and His ears are attentive to her cry.”(Psalm 34:15)