FORSAKEN IDENTITY

In the case of forsaken identity,
We are not who we once believed,
Nor do we have the right to know
The future of outcomes once controlled;
Instead, there lies a troubling void
In place of refuge mind-employed
To cope with what we might incur
As in the past when being hurt
And finding no room left to run,
Looked for reason where there’s none,
Concluding that we couldn’t trust
A soul to love forever, thus
We learned to keep another plan
In store in case we had the chance
To try and find solution to
The loneliness we always knew
While in the form of self assumed.

Inside Out

So much damage from life before,
Leaves me searching for ever more,
Creating patterns of response,
That leave me in a pool of want,
Until I find the source of life
And all that ever there is,
To dwell on what He means to us
And what He suffered to give,
‘Til when I come beside His power
I know there is no doubt
That He is all I need to see
The rest is INSIDE OUT.

KDC 1/10

Puppet

I'll volunteer to be your puppet
If you'll always pull my strings
In such a way that I no longer
Have a chance to mess up things.

I'd rather be in your control
And guided heavy-handed
Than left to slow and steady ruin
From the broken way I planned it.

He Spoke

You'll have to feel your way through

The fear to freedom's side,

Allowing that I love you

On levels beyond high,

And standing on this solid ground

You'll know to take the leap

When I have spoken softer words

For you in mind to keep.



You'll have to risk surrendering

And trust me to protect

The part of you I made to be

Responsive to neglect -

Your innocence was taken

By the force of others' will,

But I am God of what should be

And I'll restore you still.

Job Was A Lucky Man

How many times have you ever thought about Job, the Biblical character known for the severity of the testing he went through in life, and thought to yourself what a very fortunate man he was? Probably none, right? We tend to think of Job and instantly begin feeling sorry for him - after all, he lost his children, his wife, his possessions, his job, and finally his health. By the time the devil was done with him, he literally had nothing left at all besides his faith in God.

There is another way to look at this story, from the perspective of God perhaps, and another way to think about this character Job. Prior to his testing, God proclaimed proudly to his arch-enemy, "Have you considered my servant Job? In all the earth there is no man as righteous as he". Which of us would not want God to speak about us this way? In all of the Old Testament, God only named three men to be righteous in his sight - Noah, Daniel, and Job.

The truth is that God loved Job very much, and believed in him. God allowed Job's testing in the full confidence that Job would lose everything without losing his faith. God had faith in Job. Satan, on the other hand, was confident that Job would only remain faithful if his circumstance was comfortable and blessed. God proved him wrong, and it was through Job's steadfast submission to the will of the Almighty that He did so.

Yes, Job felt sorry for himself. Yes, he said some foolish things about his trials and their meaning. Job did not understand it all, nor did he manage to make sense of it. He did not have the holy scriptures to which he could refer - he lived even before the time of Moses. However, in all of his lamenting he continued to cry out to God, knowing that God was the one and only hope for his restoration and recovery. He never turned away from God and attempted to take things into his own hands. His faith was unshaken. Job was wise, and he was a good man, and yes - he was very lucky. Oh, that the rest of us could know that God compliments us so! The next time you go through a trial, remember that God is counting on you, He believes in you, he considers you "one of the faithful."

Impact

Strange how the sea remains,
Between us yet connecting,
The reaches of its power
Lost to most of all
In secret words of language
Deep and quiet.

Solid it stands, forgotten,
Unaware of careless neglect,
Appreciated too rarely
In terms of impact
It rages on to the shore,
Dying to be heard.

A Fitting Poem

Puzzled words,
They fit together,
Creating a picture
Of what's on the mind -
Colored with hues
From the sea of emotion
In recognized shapes
That are hard to define.

Puzzled words
Don't fit together
To make a clear picture
Of how to escape
Darkened tones
From the sea of emotion
Threatening seams
Where the pieces relate.

Puzzled words
Reach out to the reader
To impart some form
In attempt to create
By putting together
These thoughts and emotions
A black and white effort
To communicate.

STUCK

Are we stuck in patterns round,
Seeking that which can't be found,
Trying on the truth for size,
While living in the world's disguise?

Are we searching with eyes closed,
Wandering further in repose,
Looking back to forge ahead
Into a wall of past regret?

Are we going nowhere fast,
While temporary vision lasts,
Pulling from the push and shove
An explanation not of love?

Are we doing any good
Deducing what's misunderstood,
Making progress towards no end
To straighten wills remaining bent?

External

Otherwise, it's changing clothes,
Bandaging a wound that grows,
Applying knowledge that is flawed,
Amending contracts with a clause,
Guessing endings from the start,
Patching what's been torn apart,
Viewing surface seeking depth,
Regretting what's not happened yet.

Blooming

One of my orchids bloomed. It wasn't the same as when we purchase an orchid in bloom. This orchid has been in my care for a long time, hanging in a tree, and hasn't bloomed. None of them have, as a matter of fact - because I am learning how to bloom, too. Part of my own blooming involves learning how to care for things, for people, for animals, for the Earth, for the work of my hands.

When I noticed the bloom, my heart jumped! There they were, two perfect flowers so pale pink and white, so fragile, so beautiful. I was stunned. I was flattered. I was elated. I took the pot into my hands and carefully brought the plant closer to me for a good look. I sat in a chair under the tree, holding it in my lap and drinking in the wonder of this incredible gift. It was like God looked down upon me and smiled, knew that I needed something special and wonderful at just the right time, and thought these blooms into existence.

As I held this beautiful, magical creation in my lap and studied it in awe, I realized that I often forget to bloom. I am alive, and my roots are deep. I have the nutrients I need for life. Each day I accomplish that which I need to and move on to the next. But somewhere in there I forget to stop and bloom - to do something outstanding and creative and different from the routine. I forget to do more than just live - but instead to send a message to the world that I am cared for, loved, nurtured, and happy. That's what the bloom said to me, and it made my day.