It’s been one of those weeks where I look back and say, “Yeah, that happened.”  Nothing exceptionally good or bad, just a whole lot of striving and not much to show for it.  With sickness running through the house and some exceptionally cranky children, I feel as if I just did battle all week and ended up in the same place I started.

Yet I know it’s in these moments I’m called to draw ever closer to my Savior, the one who sustains me.  Jesus prayed for “our daily bread” and I need to remind myself just that–today’s work is enough for today.  Sometimes it’s not much, an encouraging word here or sweeping the floor there.  But at the end of the day, I can turn my gaze upward and give thanks that Jesus supplies everything I lack.

You can find the first post of my Lent poetry series below.

Week One

Mist | Day 5
It can be easy to lose sight
Of the important moments
To get caught up in the whirlwind of
The here and now
The pressing demands
The tyranny of the urgent
So simple to forget
That this handful of seconds we clutch
Are given in goodwill
And are fleeting as the dawn

Bones | Day 6
A bone once broken may heal
But it will never be quite the same
Just like trust once shattered
Can be renewed
But the fracture lines will always be there
Hints of the past preserved
Under layers of new growth
Yet even dry bones
Can be brought back to life
And the breath within them restored

Best Laid Plans | Day 7
The best laid plans
Don’t stand a chance
Against our dealings with God
We can shake a fist
Give our well-intentioned proposals
Only to have them flicked away
Like flies on a horse’s hide

Some days are like this
Just getting started
As they’re getting done
Not much to show for
But weary bones
And it’s in moments like these
I must simply surrender
And let go of what isn’t mine

Fruit Bowl | Day 8
We’d do well to learn
The lesson of the fruit bowl
That beckons so sweetly
Upon first glance
All vibrancy and zest
Promising good things
But so often appearances
Aren’t what they seem
And we may find ourselves
Staring into half a worm
Once we finally take the bite

Withdrawals | Day 9
Some days are all
Tears and boogers
Tough love and discipline
Grimy hands and sticky faces
With none of the lullabies
All climbing into bed and wondering
Where the day went
Then groaning when midnight cries
Mean it’s not over yet
But in spite of all
The small transactions
Taking and taking again
I can look forward to the morning
When the new day begins
And I can make as many deposits

Shadow Walker | Day 10
No matter how hard it tries,
Darkness can’t overcome light
No amount of shadows
Can stop a flame
Unless an outside force acts
On its behalf
And it’s no small comfort
Knowing that we are not
Alone in the fight
That the One who casts out demons
And stilled the raging sea
Also walks in the shadows
A lamp and guide to my feet

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