The staple I have craved

For many years I trusted God but resisted His pull for my whole heart.   I would (and still can) so easily turn from God to pursue my own way.  It was as though some days I was living life on a razors' edge - a non-committal place, yet a place of tremendous peril.

In this poem I try to convey the two sides -  the pain and darkness of turning away and the light and joy of being fully surrendered to the most loving being in the universe.

I pray that you and I continue to surrender more and more of our hearts until "it is no longer I who live, but Christ in me".  

The Staple I Have Craved

Evil's mark lay on His side

For all the world to see

Yet even then I turned away

And sought my path, not Thee.

"My way" is

wise

 and so it tries

to fill the space within

Yet when I ponder all my heights

My heart lies dark as starless nights.

"Oh help me give myself to Thee!"

Just beyond my stormy days

Your loving touch must surely be

the staple I so long have craved.

Now my soul basks in your Word

My spirit knows it's true

It lights my heart and lifts my way

Tis better than my wisdom's toil

Now joy-filled are my days.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Revelation 3:14-16 (NIV)