There’ll be no more dirty feet to wash
Or tears to wipe away
No more chance to say, “Forgiven.”
To a son who’s lost his way
Oh yes the Lord will light our world
As our praises fill the air
But our chance to reach the lost
Is not an option there
Why do we wish for heaven so?
It’s time is soon to be
Right now we have a day to give
Before its shadows flee
Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, I will go
away to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense.
Song of Solomon 4:6 ESV
Before Its Shadows Flee by Peter Caligiuri copyright 2021 all rights reserved
I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song: he has become my salvation. Psalms 118:13-14 ESV
“Are you sure you can do this?” Mike yelled over the sound of the rushing stream.
“No problem, I’ve got confidence!” I shouted back as I finished cutting the trunk of the tree that had fallen in the water. But as the saw sliced through the last inch of bark I realized too late that my calculation was terribly wrong. In a moment I was catapulted head over heels with the running chain saw still in my hand. Mercifully, the saw flew away from my body and I landed chest deep in freezing water. I was embarrassed and unhurt but on the other side of the stream my friend Mike was doubled over in laughter. “I’ve got confidence! I’ve got confidence!” he kept repeating, between peals of uncontrollable laughter!
My problem was not lack of confidence, but that I didn’t think I needed any help. There I was catapulting through the air until God caught me. He was a friend standing by that stream ready to rescue and He will not laugh when we mess up. (Though I sometimes wonder if He chuckles). God promises to be our strength when we ask for help – our song when He gives it and our salvation, when we learn to put our confidence only in Him!
Why in the world would anyone want to be a poet? First off, if I remember correctly, except for Robert Frost and William Shakespeare, few poets ever made enough money to pay the bills much less support a family. So why would anyone choose to write poems? Secondly, who even reads anything anymore, except text messages or social media posts. But here are three reasons you just might make the crazy choice to write anyway.
It is For God’s Glory – Because, whatever you do, eating or drinking or anything else, everything should be done to bring glory to God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 Phillips
When we think of poetry and more specifically about ourselves as poets, we figure that our job is somehow different and more important than that of plumbers or housekeepers. But the Bible makes no such differentiation. All of us have the obligation to communicate through our work, the glory of God. Think of work like home remodeling One person installs the sink and countertops while another cleans it up as if Jesus were getting ready to cook a gourmet meal there. All of us are expected to get our job done for a specific purpose and with all the excellence we are capable of.
2)We have a simple story we are dying to tell – But I am afraid that even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, your minds may be corrupted and led astray from the simplicity of your pure devotion to Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:18 AMP
During the 1700’s there was a small religious group called the Shakers who had an impact on our culture far beyond the few communities they founded. In 1848, Joseph Brackett, one of their leaders wrote a song titled Simple Gifts.
Tis a gift to be simple, tis a gift to be free
Tis a gift to come down to where we ought to be
Most of us can use a bit of that advice before we start to write. Sadly, entire library shelves (Not to mention websites) are filled with unread dusty volumes of dense impenetrable words. While these may be of some value to a few rare souls, if our desire is to communicate to a wider audience then we might need to follow the advice posted on our daughter-in-law’s refrigerator:
Simplify – Throw everything out!
3)It is within the city limits of what God gave us to do
Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others…2 Corinthians 10:15 ESV
To our modern way of thinking any sort of limit simply restricts our horizons and denies us the ability to reach our full potential. But Paul reveals that the secret of His effectiveness and success was precisely because he willingly and joyfully worked within the limits that God had chosen for him. The news flash from the Bible is that we are not called to reach everyone, but we have the chance to reach someone. For me that someone, who is like one of my own grandchildren. I usually keep a picture in my mind of one of their faces whenever I am writing (And rewriting, then chopping it down some more!)
So do you best forGod’s glory, simply be yourself and rejoice in the city limits he has given you to live!
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