Far Away Near

Perhaps yours is not the tumultuous journey
of Christ, far simpler, in fact,
even if longer and less straight.

Perhaps yours is not a life twisted
as badly as others, or as simple as others, but
it is a journey, long, often

confusing, a long mountain path
lost in fog and fires,
painfully unclear, even in the bright sun.

The weather changes.
The landscape changes.
The wind changes

and you blow with it, weak
as a dandelion,
somehow unable to grasp

the firm stone, the temple’s foundation,
fingerless and weak,
wanting love you know lives

far away near,
a prayer away, if only
you could pray.

About this Poem

Today’s word on this next to last day of Lent is “Far”. And thinking on it, I thought about how often what we want most in life is so much closer than we understand.

No where is this more true than faith and God, who stands along next to us so often,
yet we cannot grasp him. Even in a season like Easter, it is hard for us sometimes.

Thank goodness for prayer, which is our tieline to God, and often saves us when we cannot save ourselves.

Tom

About these Lenten Poems

My friend Cathy Benson is on to something. Instead of doing without for Lent, she is doing MORE with a prayer project that is thoughtful and caring.

Giving up something for Lent is a church tradition, not a biblical command. It was designed to get our minds and hearts right as we approach the holy week and Easter. It’s a good spiritual discipline.

But I think a spiritual discipline of doing something more is also a powerful way to prepare our hearts for Easter. The Methodists, through their “Rethink Church” initiative have come up with a photographic way to do this (see below). I am going to add a poem with each image for the lent season to help prepare myself. Feel free to glom on to the idea, visit the blog and read, or share your thoughts and prayers.