I love to read, but poetry is usually a stretch for me. I suspect I think mostly in prose ;-) Poetry, like music, has the potential to speak past the mind to the soul and heart. Maybe I rarely take the time to listen. I read fast, but in order to appreciate a poem I must slow down and actually think. Today I took the time (all of five minutes) to read and allow this poem to speak to my heart. Like music, like the psalms, this poem expressed my thoughts and longings more eloquently that I could.
LOVE (III)
by George Herbert
Love bade me welcome, yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-ey'd Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
If I lack'd anything.
"A guest," I answer'd, "worthy to be here";
Love said, "You shall be he."
"I, the unkind, the ungrateful? ah my dear,
I cannot look on thee."
Love took my hand and smiling did reply,
"Who made the eyes but I?"
"Truth, Lord, but I have marr'd them; let my shame
Go where it doth deserve."
"And know you not," says Love, "who bore the blame?"
"My dear, then I will serve."
"You must sit down," says Love, "and taste my meat."
So I did sit and eat.
http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/herbert/love3.htm
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Stunted Shrub
“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, on the salty flats where no one lives. But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their home and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit.” Jeremiah 17:5-8 New Living Translation
Stunted Shrub
Dry twigs snap at subtlest pressure;
Rootless bush tumbles.
MY strength, man’s strength, will suffice;
Disciple stumbles.
Fruitless, growthless, lifeless;
Withered, she shakes.
At the whim of surrounding conditions
Rootless one breaks.
Drought resistant tree;
No anxiety.
Life, growth, fruit;
Solid, deep root.
Steady in the storm;
Trust is in the Lord.
Planted in that trust,
Flourish I must.
Betsy Saroni, June 2003
Almost six years after writing that poem it still resonates in my heart. So many days I feel more like the stunted shrub than a tree planted by streams of water yielding abundant fruit. Why? I lose sight of the importance of being rooted in living water. Here the tree has the advantage over me; once planted it is there to stay. I can wander, follow distractions, and choose to ignore the need to stay deeply rooted. If I took a tree and constantly transplanted it, would it ever take root and really flourish? Would it every consistently yield fruit?
I know the answer to my question and my longings, but knowing is not doing. Knowing does not produce fruit. These verses are full of action verbs: trust, makes the Lord their home, does not walk, meditates, abides. Although hearing and knowing the Word is vitally important, I must prove myself a doer of the Word, not a hearer only. (James 1:22-23) It’s time to take my knowledge and live it.
I pray for a verse to focus on each year, and this year it is Colossians 2:6. “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk in Him.” The Lord is asking me for more, asking me to take seriously what I read and believe, asking me to make changes in my daily life that will demonstrate I am willing to put action to my beliefs. It’s time to walk the walk, not just in front of my friends and family, but in the secret, hidden places that only Christ sees. It’s time to stop searching for fruit in my life that is visible to all and focus on the hidden, my root system.
“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by steams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5
Stunted Shrub
Dry twigs snap at subtlest pressure;
Rootless bush tumbles.
MY strength, man’s strength, will suffice;
Disciple stumbles.
Fruitless, growthless, lifeless;
Withered, she shakes.
At the whim of surrounding conditions
Rootless one breaks.
Drought resistant tree;
No anxiety.
Life, growth, fruit;
Solid, deep root.
Steady in the storm;
Trust is in the Lord.
Planted in that trust,
Flourish I must.
Betsy Saroni, June 2003
Almost six years after writing that poem it still resonates in my heart. So many days I feel more like the stunted shrub than a tree planted by streams of water yielding abundant fruit. Why? I lose sight of the importance of being rooted in living water. Here the tree has the advantage over me; once planted it is there to stay. I can wander, follow distractions, and choose to ignore the need to stay deeply rooted. If I took a tree and constantly transplanted it, would it ever take root and really flourish? Would it every consistently yield fruit?
I know the answer to my question and my longings, but knowing is not doing. Knowing does not produce fruit. These verses are full of action verbs: trust, makes the Lord their home, does not walk, meditates, abides. Although hearing and knowing the Word is vitally important, I must prove myself a doer of the Word, not a hearer only. (James 1:22-23) It’s time to take my knowledge and live it.
I pray for a verse to focus on each year, and this year it is Colossians 2:6. “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk in Him.” The Lord is asking me for more, asking me to take seriously what I read and believe, asking me to make changes in my daily life that will demonstrate I am willing to put action to my beliefs. It’s time to walk the walk, not just in front of my friends and family, but in the secret, hidden places that only Christ sees. It’s time to stop searching for fruit in my life that is visible to all and focus on the hidden, my root system.
“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by steams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Things Above
Colossians 3:1-2 “Therefore if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”
I always seem to get caught below. My mind spends most of its time on the things that irritate or annoy me, the things that need to be done, the things the children are NOT doing. Or I’m beating myself up for not spending my time wisely, not getting enough done today, forgetting to run that errand, not making sure the kids finished their school work.
Just what are the things above? I count myself among those who have been raised with Christ, so how do I see the things where Christ is, the things associated with the Father? “Set your mind…” That’s an imperative, a command, which must mean I can do it. But how? ‘Below’ shouts at me and pulls at me. ‘Above’ seems distant and inaccessible.
[Light bulb moment!] That’s what Jesus was all about. Descending to ‘below’ in order to make ‘above’ accessible for us. To seek the things above, to set my mind on things above, I must get to know the One who allows me access to ‘above.’ I’ve been a Christian over 20 years, yet how well do I really know Christ? I know a lot ABOUT Christ, and 10 years ago I would have said I KNOW Him. Maybe it’s an instance of the more I know, the more I realize I don’t know. I don’t KNOW Christ, but I have a longing in me that there must be more than what I have experienced.
I don’t know how to set my mind on things above. But I’m hopeful because I think I know the first step. I’ve known it for years, I just frequently allow the ‘things below’ to take top priority and I squeeze in time soaking in the Word or praying when I ‘find time’. Or I allow ‘things below’ to completely squeeze out Jesus and fall in bed at night tossing up sleepy, scattered prayers pledging to do better tomorrow.
This year, my goal is to start each day with my Bible and my journal. Revolutionary idea? Of course not! I’ve known for years I needed to start the day this way. But I get up late, kids are rowdy, I have to go somewhere – there are a thousand excuses. Later, I tell myself, I’ll pray later. And later never comes. So today, although it’s after 9 am and we should be doing school, I’m reading, writing, sitting still, attempting to listen, and then falling on my face asking the Holy Spirit to fill me, speak to me, help me. I feel guilty. A ‘good’ homeschool mom would be up early having her quiet time so she’d be schooling by now. True, but I have to start where I am. I’m desperate enough to believe that this time with the Lord is really, truly THE most important thing I can do for my family.
I think a Mommy whose mind is set on things above will parent better, teach better, disciple better and even manage the home better. I sure hope so. Remember that scene in Star Wars: A New Hope where Princess Leia in the hologram says, “Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.” Well, I’ve tried a lot of things in my own strength, and nothing has worked. I’ve finally figured out I can’t do it on my own, and for the first time I’m REALLY crying out, “Help me, Jesus. You’re my only hope.”
I always seem to get caught below. My mind spends most of its time on the things that irritate or annoy me, the things that need to be done, the things the children are NOT doing. Or I’m beating myself up for not spending my time wisely, not getting enough done today, forgetting to run that errand, not making sure the kids finished their school work.
Just what are the things above? I count myself among those who have been raised with Christ, so how do I see the things where Christ is, the things associated with the Father? “Set your mind…” That’s an imperative, a command, which must mean I can do it. But how? ‘Below’ shouts at me and pulls at me. ‘Above’ seems distant and inaccessible.
[Light bulb moment!] That’s what Jesus was all about. Descending to ‘below’ in order to make ‘above’ accessible for us. To seek the things above, to set my mind on things above, I must get to know the One who allows me access to ‘above.’ I’ve been a Christian over 20 years, yet how well do I really know Christ? I know a lot ABOUT Christ, and 10 years ago I would have said I KNOW Him. Maybe it’s an instance of the more I know, the more I realize I don’t know. I don’t KNOW Christ, but I have a longing in me that there must be more than what I have experienced.
I don’t know how to set my mind on things above. But I’m hopeful because I think I know the first step. I’ve known it for years, I just frequently allow the ‘things below’ to take top priority and I squeeze in time soaking in the Word or praying when I ‘find time’. Or I allow ‘things below’ to completely squeeze out Jesus and fall in bed at night tossing up sleepy, scattered prayers pledging to do better tomorrow.
This year, my goal is to start each day with my Bible and my journal. Revolutionary idea? Of course not! I’ve known for years I needed to start the day this way. But I get up late, kids are rowdy, I have to go somewhere – there are a thousand excuses. Later, I tell myself, I’ll pray later. And later never comes. So today, although it’s after 9 am and we should be doing school, I’m reading, writing, sitting still, attempting to listen, and then falling on my face asking the Holy Spirit to fill me, speak to me, help me. I feel guilty. A ‘good’ homeschool mom would be up early having her quiet time so she’d be schooling by now. True, but I have to start where I am. I’m desperate enough to believe that this time with the Lord is really, truly THE most important thing I can do for my family.
I think a Mommy whose mind is set on things above will parent better, teach better, disciple better and even manage the home better. I sure hope so. Remember that scene in Star Wars: A New Hope where Princess Leia in the hologram says, “Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.” Well, I’ve tried a lot of things in my own strength, and nothing has worked. I’ve finally figured out I can’t do it on my own, and for the first time I’m REALLY crying out, “Help me, Jesus. You’re my only hope.”
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