how hard #2...

“how hard,”
You said, “it is for a rich man
to enter YaHWeH’s kingdom.”

“the odds
are better for a camel
to get through a needle’s eye,”
You continued.

we laughed.
it was a comical image…
then
we quit laughing.
it wasn’t so funny anymore.
“Lord, who is there that CAN be saved?”
we asked.
You were quick to reply,
“God makes it possible.
there is no other way.”

really, Lord?
no OTHER way in…
than YaHWeH’s grace and mercy?
no great acts of charity can do it?

or
was that Your whole point, Lord?

at first we’d thought
You were asking the young man
to give up his money
as a sacrifice…
to earn YaHWeH’s notice…
His favor.

then
it dawned on us
that giving it ALL away
was the minimum
requirement
to join You on the road…
&
joining You, Lord,
is the ONLY way into the forever-kingdom
of YaHWeH…
the kingdom that
hums with LIFE…
full-on-LIFE!

(for the back-story
to this post...
see Mark 10:17-31)

how hard #1...

“how hard,”
You said, “it is for a rich man
to enter YaHWeH’s kingdom.”

“the odds
are better for a camel
to get through a needle’s eye,”
You continued.

we laughed.
it was a comical image…
then
we quit laughing.
it wasn’t so funny anymore.
“Lord, who is there that CAN be saved?”
we asked.
You were quick to reply,
“God makes it possible.
there is no other way.”

really, Lord?
no OTHER way in…
than YaHWeH’s grace and mercy?
no great acts of charity can do it?

or
was that Your whole point, Lord?

at first we’d thought
You were asking the young man
to give up his money
as a sacrifice…
to earn YaHWeH’s notice…
His favor.

then
it dawned on us
that giving it ALL away
was the minimum
requirement
to join You on the road…
&
joining You, Lord,
is the ONLY way into the forever-kingdom
of YaHWeH…
the kingdom that
hums with LIFE…
full-on-LIFE!

(for the back-story
to this post...
see Mark 10:17-31)

in his arms #3

big
people want blessings that are
quantifiable...
profitable...
&
usually impersonal.

why is this true, Lord?

is it
that mostly we don't want
to be bothered?
to be distracted?
to be handled?
or
is it as simple as the
fact
that we like to be
in control?

little
people LOVE being
handled...
held...
cuddled...

is that why You
pointed them out to us
as living pictures
of heaven?
of grace?

is that why You
insisted
on HOLDING them
as You pronounced GRACE
into their lives?

is our refusal
to stop
long enough for You
to hold us
close...
the main reason we
notice
so few of Your gifts
to us?

(for the back-story...
see Mark 10:13-16)

in His arms #2

big
people see things
differently
from little people.

You knew this, Lord...
so
is that why You stopped us
as we tried
to prevent Your words of
blessing
from being spoken?

big
people think words
are cheap...

little people
know
that words can kill
or
at least make them cry.

big
people curse
life...
&
other people...
&
barriers to their plans...
&
frustrating circumstances.

little people
haven't learned
yet
to curse
although they do know
frustration...
& sadly...
cursing will come easily
to their lips
soon enough.

Lord,
Your words of blessing
exposed
our "protection"
of Your "valuable time"
as the curses
they were.

heaven
loves blessing.

death
despises it.

(for the back-story...
see Mark 10:13-16)

in His arms

turned
away, Lord...
we turned them
away.

You stopped us in our
tracks
telling us that
they
were what heaven's
citizens
most resembled.

then
You held them
in Your arms
blessing
them & their lives.

squirmy
&
already dirty from their morning
travels...
they stopped their
movement
for a moment as
words
too strong for any of us
big people
to remember
much less comprehend
rolled
over their little heads.

then
once again full
of energy
they ran off to play.

heaven
stopped & noticed.
the cosmos-Maker
smiled.

indeed...
it was good!

(for the back-story...
see Mark 10:13-16 & Genesis 1:10 )

little ears #2

they hear very well
those little
ears
hooked
to young minds
quick
to draw conclusions
to flinch
from us
at the sound of our
inner frustrations
boiling over.

we wish
no harm for them
in our irritations
in our momentary displeasures
spoken.

but
they do NOT know
our hearts...
all they know
is
the NOW
they inhabit.

so
we wound deeply
the little ones we
love.
the most.

little ears #1

little ears
hear
our words
our tones of voice
BIG.
&
LOUD.
& LONG.

wounds great
&
embraces strong
both
are fruit of our
words
in little hearts
longing
to grow up.

help us, Lord,
to measure our tones
&
our words
to shape
well
those little hearts
that You give
to our care.

silence #7

is
it in silence,
that we learn
to grieve well?
to weep completely?
to find Your deepest
heart, Lord?

is this why You have
made
our nights to be so
quiet?

is
the night-silence
a place
where Your hearts speaks
most clearly?

why
is it that so many
other voices are so
loud?

fill our silence
with
Your heart.
You
will satisfy.

silence #6

is
that what our conversation
is?
really?

is it
You
turning to us
so deeply that our hearts
cry
with words not
speakable
or
hearable?

is
it You, Lord,
Who has planted so
deep
in us this need to
talk with You?

is
grief one of the
surest roads to You?

do our tears
begin
in our hearts
only
after You weep them
first?

could
this be true?

silence #5

pages
turned on the dial
of our lives
by Your hand
bring no sense...
no words
readable with our
eyes...
or hearable
if even they could be
spoken.

the only words
we can truly hear
come
from inside us.
yet
even those
deep-inside words...
where do they come from?

did they begin
elsewhere?

in Your deep-inside,
Lord?

silence #4

since
You are not talking
in words
we can hear...
we listen in
vain...
or do we?

if
You have no hearable
words
for our ears, Lord...

are there any
words?
at all?
any where?
ever?

silence #3

the heavens
shine day & night
with
no answer...
light
is all they can say.
light
is their language...
&
ours is life.

Your heavens
shine out the silence
so loudly we
cringe.

broken
we rest.

waiting.

silence #2

why?

is there a reason
good enough?
or
big enough?
at all
understandable?

intelligence
&
wisdom fall short
in any answer
they can give.

words.
endless words
are not enough.
either.

still
we ask, "Why?"
"Why, Lord?"

silence #1

frightened
she almost wants to scoop
him up
&
run away
from the cancer
they say he carries
inside
his 4-year-old body.

flesh
from her flesh
heart
of her heart
he is too dear
to lose.
ever.

so
she won't.