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Poem for Resurrection Day - Joyce Rupp

Ivy

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It is the story
of how fresh, fine fruit grew on a barren tree,
of how moonlight stalked the darkness and devoured it,
of how winter snows were snatched by strong southern
winds,
of how an empty, hollow heart grew rich with the fullness of
an unseen presence.

It is the story of one
who learned the penetrating power of silence,
whose heart listened more deeply than the ears of flesh,
who savored the faithfulness of friends who stood by,
who fled down the dark alleyways of depression and walked
into the ripe rims of Easter lilies.

The seed in black earth
is no mere comfort slogan to the bereaved.
It is fully the groan and agony of one falling
into the hell of nothingness.
It is wholly the pain of one crawling out of the pit, hands
and knees on sharp rocks, spewing the blood of an angry
search amid the stench of memories.

Many see only what is before them, some see not even that.
But the one who has been in the harbor of despair
ponders and savors the delicate, first curl of the greening
leaf in a grateful way that no one else ever can.

The one who has howled in the far countries of darkness
lingers long with the faint traces of light in the dawn.
The one who has torn into her past, with the rage of the
wild,
snatches the first jagged pieces of her life's puzzle
and she shouts out like one in a field full of treasures:
"I have found my Self! I, who have died, have come back to life!"

Praying Our Goodbyes, Joyce Rupp Copyright 2009
 

Ivy

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Well, to me, I've had some very emotionally difficult times. I've felt like I was about to just go down the drain sometimes.

And lately, it feels like I'm seeing a little of the other side of that. I'm seeing God bring great good out of all the suffering and gradually giving me the gift of who he really made me to be. I felt like I was going down the drain, like I said--but He didn't let that happen, wow! He's been holding me up with his hand all the time.

It's not like I feel like life is going so be all just perfect now, but I'm really seeing the faithfulness of God and his loving design in my life--so I feel a little more optimistic (being optimistic has never been one of my strong points, lol).

Anyway, that is what the poem meant to me, probably another person would get something a little different from it. That's the cool thing about poems :)
 
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rachel22

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seeing God bring great good out of all the suffering and gradually giving me the gift of who he really made me to be. I felt like I was going down the drain, like I said--but He didn't let that happen, wow! He's been holding me up with his hand all the time.

It's not like I feel like life is going so be all just perfect now, but I'm really seeing the faithfulness of God and his loving design in my life--so I feel a little more optimistic (being optimistic has never been one of my strong points

:amen: amen to that, sister. i get that feeling a lot (feeling like youre going to go down the drain, feeling that i cant handle this) but God has held me up this far. without him i could not endure this suffering.
 
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Ivy

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:amen: amen to that, sister. i get that feeling a lot (feeling like youre going to go down the drain, feeling that i cant handle this) but God has held me up this far. without him i could not endure this suffering.

:hug::hug::hug: Big hugs to you, my sister. He'll always be faithful and never leave us.
 
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