The other day a teacher at school handed me a devotional that she had received and wanted to share it with the class. Since I was running late I shoved it into my bag without even looking at it. The piece of paper fell out of my bag this morning and I was pleasantly surprised to find this beautifully written poem. I thought I would share it with you.
Life: by Melody Wachsmuth
Life:
This world and the next
is full of mystery.
The richness of deep theological understanding confronts the poor, uneducated woman who, once healed, simply says "I will never forget what he did for me."
A thoughtful, well-balanced understanding of the Bible using every tool to understand the historical context confronts one who reads every word literally as if fallen from the mouth of God.
We think we know
Our hearts grow bold
With lusty enthusiasm
Of our knowledge:
We are satiated in our presumptions.
But how to answer the simple questions when we are too busy with the complex?
It is hard to know
if we see clearly
or dimly:
Do we have wisdom to know the difference?
The mystery of this world
is to see Jesus in the face of the poor and the sick
The dirty and the beggar.
And yet that picture dims.
What am I looking for in those faces?
But at the academic conferences
When I am overtaken by the fever of new knowledge
And bright bursts of insights explode in my being,
I feel I can see so clearly.
But therein lies the mystery-
What if the dim is actually clear
And the clear is actually dim?
Our own knowledge must grasp
That hand of the humble beggar
As if our life depended on it
Or it will lead is down a path
Of self-aggrandizement
That ends
In complete blindness.
Meditation: Vindicate the weak and the fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute; Rescue the weak and the needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicket. (Psalm 82:3-4)
Pray for the homeless and for those who seek to bring justice for all God's beloved children who suffer.
Life: by Melody Wachsmuth
Life:
This world and the next
is full of mystery.
The richness of deep theological understanding confronts the poor, uneducated woman who, once healed, simply says "I will never forget what he did for me."
A thoughtful, well-balanced understanding of the Bible using every tool to understand the historical context confronts one who reads every word literally as if fallen from the mouth of God.
We think we know
Our hearts grow bold
With lusty enthusiasm
Of our knowledge:
We are satiated in our presumptions.
But how to answer the simple questions when we are too busy with the complex?
It is hard to know
if we see clearly
or dimly:
Do we have wisdom to know the difference?
The mystery of this world
is to see Jesus in the face of the poor and the sick
The dirty and the beggar.
And yet that picture dims.
What am I looking for in those faces?
But at the academic conferences
When I am overtaken by the fever of new knowledge
And bright bursts of insights explode in my being,
I feel I can see so clearly.
But therein lies the mystery-
What if the dim is actually clear
And the clear is actually dim?
Our own knowledge must grasp
That hand of the humble beggar
As if our life depended on it
Or it will lead is down a path
Of self-aggrandizement
That ends
In complete blindness.
Meditation: Vindicate the weak and the fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute; Rescue the weak and the needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicket. (Psalm 82:3-4)
Pray for the homeless and for those who seek to bring justice for all God's beloved children who suffer.
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