On Being

ON BEING

 

This is a poem about being

About being made in His likeness

And being saved on a daily basis

Maybe even an hourly basis

This poem is about being

Being filled with the Holy Spirit

About being being filled with the Holy Spirit

And what all that means.

I am talking about process

A continual lifelong process of getting right with God

And clear with yourself

And honest, and kind, and grateful,

and way more humble and a lot less dramatic

in the Bible when it says “walk out your salvation with fear and trembling”

I think that is because it is never really done

It is always being done

When it says saved by grace through faith it means saved, again

Not like you weren’t saved before

But you weren’t saved there, in that dark corner,

Or strange avenue in your mind

Haven’t you ever felt like you just got thrown back on the Potter’s wheel?

Thwaap

There you are, a lump of clay

Sitting in the middle of your circumstances

All balled up and feeling alone

And then that wheel starts to spin

And what a ride – you spin, and spin

And then you feel that Living Water

Pouring down your sides

And then those magnificent hands begin

To shape you, lead you, hold you, direct you,

and somehow pull out the best in you

Every time you believe that God can

God can

and He does

but sometimes He does it so long after the fact

that it seems like it didn’t even happen

even though it did.

No one reading this would be as extraordinary as each of you are

if it wasn’t for God,

pulling you out of that fiery furnace,

if it wasn’t for God teaching you how to slay a lion, and a bear,

before He allowed you to kill a giant.

If it wasn’t for God you wouldn’t look so good today

you may have had more bling but you wouldn’t have

nearly the substance you have.

If it wasn’t for God you probably would have folded

even though by the looks of you, you probably had a winning hand

If it wasn’t for God

you’d still think it was okay

to smoke, or lie, or swear

you might even think it was cool to have sex with someone you aren’t married to

but now you know

you know what the standards are

whether or not you’re able to live up to them

at least you know them

in the deepest part of you.

If it wasn’t for God you wouldn’t feel so bad when you mess up

and do it wrong

you would just be able to handle it and not know

that what you got to do is get serious with God

and talk to Him

confess, repent, and turn away from whatever it is, or was

that made you think it was more important than

your relationship with Abba Father.

If it wasn’t for God you wouldn’t have those crystalline moments of

absolute joy – those moments of sheer awe,

those moments when you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that

He loves you – He loves you.

Those moments you know when He’s got you – He’s got you

Like right now, how He’s telling you

I love you – I love you

Fear not, for I am with you

Always, even to the end of the age.

 

—Julie Evans