Good Day, Good Readers of the Wonder Child Blog,
Today I have the great pleasure of sharing with you my mentor Lefty’s first ever poem. It would seem I’m rubbing off on him. J
This entry is a slightly edited version of one he published on his blog, The 7 Day Mental Diet (http://blog.7daymentaldiet.net/) on August 18th. He wrote the poem August 13th.
After his post I include the comment I wrote on his blog in response to his beautiful poem. Enjoy!
P.S. We will be having another retreat soon!
God Is Within
by Lefty
I was giving a retreat this weekend with a few other people. The theme of the retreat was a book by Emmet Fox “The Power Through Constructive Thinking”. My part was what has become a passion for me, “The 7 Day Mental Diet”. I do another session on Dream Boards and finding your dreams/heart’s desire. After the first session and our morning meditation, I made a connection between 2 phrases that I have heard many times before.
The first one was Friday night, one of the presenters, Mike, said “God would not destroy something that he had created”. The next day, a participant named Jack read our morning meditation. In it were words we hear quite often: “God is Within”.
The connection came as Jack said those words. I did something that I have never done. I wrote a poem. Reading poetry is something that I do not do. It is a chore. Most poetry does not make sense to me. I have been listening to a subliminal track to remove writer’s block, so when I had the idea to write my thoughts in the form of a poem, there was no resistance.
Here is the poem.
If God is within me
If God is present within me
If God cares about me
If God is my Father
If I am suffering, then God is suffering
If I am melancholy, then God is melancholy
If I am happy, then God is happy
God would not punish me
For God would be punishing himself
God is always directing me towards happiness
It was a very powerful weekend. 29 men on retreat, not one of us left without shedding a tear, both of sorrow and joy. To be a part of that is to be as close to my God as I can be. I thank every one of the men there that share their heart with me.
Joseph Anthony wrote:
Your poem, inspired by Mike and Jack, inspired the following reflections:
For years I believed I was unlovable. For years I believed God was out to get me. For years I believed God was everywhere, but inside me. My house was filled with too much filth and debris for Him to even want to set foot in it.
Over the last three years however, these false beliefs began changing. And when I read your poem (especially on the day you wrote it, infused with the light of the retreat), I had such a sense of validating hope. God IS inside me. God WANTS to enter into me, ESPECAILLY when I feel unworthy. God DOES care for me. God WANTS me happy. And God would never destroy or punish something He created. Anything that even remotely appears to be destruction is simply transformation. After all, the caterpillar literally dissolves in the cocoon before solidifying into a butterfly, and that process seems rather destructive. There is never a question of punishment—consequences yes, admonishment, perhaps, but punishment, never.
God transforms what He creates. And that is such a comforting truth. I am not a finished product. God is constantly molding and fashioning me to fit the dreams He has for me. Sure sometimes the pressing and kneading hurt, I imagine dissolving would feel uncomfortable too (but who knows? Someday I’ll ask a butterfly, but it probably wouldn’t remember). Anyway, there is much hope in your words and in the very fact that you wrote them. I am grateful that God decided to embellish you with a poet’s touch. Truth, when carved into poetry, becomes beautiful and more accessible to the soul.
May the Muse be with you!
Copyright Joseph Anthony of the Wonder Child Blog