Beautiful People

Jason Upton – Beautiful People

During a recent trip to America I met a Korean man with quite a past. His childhood was marred by abuse and rejection. His parents divorced when he was young and he was raised by his dad and his stepmother. His stepmother physically abused him and severely mistreated him. His struggles were so difficult that he quit school after 6th grade and lived on his own. In his early 20’s he fell in love with a woman who was a little older than him, so he lied about his age. All their marriage she thought he was older than her. Sadly, the wounds of his childhood continued to hinder him as an adult. He had moments of joy and of fun, but for the most part his demeanor was dark and depressed. His marriage soon fell apart, with his wife leaving him for another man. He tried at marriage again, but his second wife ended up taking advantage of him and leaving him after putting him in debt. He was left alone with his credit damaged and a whole lot of debt to handle. The son he had from his first marriage was being raised in almost the same conditions he had been raised in.

But God is gracious. His daughter (a friend of mine), who was raised apart from him after his first divorce, later accepted Christ. Despite being hurt by her father and even being afraid of him because of his dark demeanor, she felt God prompting her to pray for him. A couple years later, her lonely father happened to wander into a church. He met God that day and became a Christian. And his life completely changed.

I met him with my wife Sky in February while we were in the States. He doesn’t live with his daughter and his son is in college (his son also accepted Christ, praise the Lord!), so he is alone now. But when we met him he had a glow about him that seemed to show he had everything. His clothes were old and worn and he was obviously lacking the care of a woman in his life, but his smile and his love for God outshone all of that. He was pure. His love for God is one of the most sincere I’ve witnessed. He is someone who leaves a strong impression, not because of charisma or outward appearance, but because of a sweetness in his presence.

I didn’t know of his full past until after that meeting. It was then I understood his humility and sweetness more. He had tasted the other side for too long in life… the brokenness and the attempts to meet his needs and his desires on his own. But now that he found God’s love and God’s healing touch, he knew he had found something greater than this world could ever offer. Proverbs 27:7 reads, “One who is full loathes honey, but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.” His hunger and his love for the Lord are so genuine that even the bitter things are sweet to him.

I told Sky afterward that he truly is a beautiful person. No one would have said that about him for most of his life, but when we met him we got to see the true man he was made to be: glowing with love and God’s presence. His life is a testimony of hope for every orphan and every brokenhearted person, including my own.

Jason Upton – Beautiful People

Turn down the radio, I wanna hear.
Turn down the voices, hurting my ear.
There’s a moment, getting away…
and there’s something, I wanna say.

Roll down the windows, and this is what you’ll hear:
the sound of a stranger’s voice in your ear…
Is it fear that, has kept you away?
From the song and the wind and the waves?

Saying: we can be friends, if you want to…
there’s a friendship waiting… to be.
We can be friends, if you want to…
take my hand, be friends with me.

Beautiful music, memories and years…
of beautiful laughter and beautiful tears.
I’s a beautiful morning today…
with the wind blowing… every which way.

Beautiful people… forgive and forget.
and eyes look like children, who haven’t lost yet
Entrust us the strength of their love
disarms all the powers… that separate us.

Because: we can be friends, if you want to…
there’s a friendship waiting to be.
We can be friends, if you want to…
take my hand, be friends with me.