Poetry and Patience

23 March 2011

Ok, these aren't exactly what I
read in my spare time.  But who doesn't
like kid books?  And the pic is great!

I'm one of those people that reads a bunch of books at once.  I would like to think this habit is because I need different kinds of books at different times - thought-provoking, classics, theological, light-hearted, non-thinking - and not just that I can't stay focused!  Regardless, one of the many books I've been reading as of late is called Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow.  It seemed applicable to my normal worry-worn self, and... it was free!!!  So I thought I'd give it a try.

In reading a bit of it today, I came across a poem written by a 14-year-old boy.  Unfortunately, I can't find the author's name.  But I wanted to share it with you.  So here goes:

It was spring but it was summer I wanted; 

the warm days and the great outdoors.
It was summer but it was fall I wanted; 

the colorful leaves and the cool dry air.
It was fall but it was winter I wanted; 

the beautiful snow and the joy of the holiday season.
It was now winter but it was spring I wanted; 

the warmth and the blossoming of nature.
I was a child but it was adulthood I wanted; 

the freedom and the respect.
I was twenty but it was thirty I wanted; 

to be mature and sophisticated.
I was middle-aged but it was twenty I wanted; 

the youth and the free spirit.
I was retired but it was middle-age that I wanted; 

the presence of mind without limitations.
My life was over but I never got what I wanted.

Well.  That pretty much sums up what I've been learning as of late.  Because recently, I've been having a hard time simply being content.  It's not that I don't love it here.  I do.  I have great friends, awesome students, and a mostly-electricity-powered place to live. And it's not that I don't trust that God has in mind what's best for me.  (Oh, wait... yeah, maybe that's the problem after all. Hmm...)

Another great book I've been reading lately is the book of Joshua.  We're going through the Old Testament in Grade 3, and loving every minute of it.  I never knew third graders could sit enraptured at the carpet for over an hour listening... but evidently, God's Word is able to do much more than I ever thought or could imagine!  At the end of the Pentateuch, where Moses is dying and Joshua is stepping into his role as the new leader of the Israelites, we see God really start to get on a roll.  He's pumping up His new leader with a "You can do it!" speech, and His theme phrase seems to be,

"Be strong and courageous. 
Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged. 
Be strong and very courageous!!!"  

Over and over again in Scripture it says these same words.  And every time, my kids and I shout out the words together.  It's like one of those kids books where every page ends with "♫...and I don't know why she swallowed the fly... perhaps she'll die... ♫" that everyone can say together.  Except, this time it's not a silly song.  It's from God.  And as I told my class, we've got to assume that there was SOMETHING coming up that was going to be tough.  After all, you don't tell someone to be strong and courageous when they're about to tie their shoes for the millionth time.

So despite the fact that the Israelites were FINALLY getting ready to enter into the much longed-for Promised Land, God also knew that the journey ahead was going to be tough.  There would be giants.  Big scary cities with walls.  And pea-people with purple slushies.  (Oh wait, that was only in the Veggie-Tales version). 

Even when Joshua felt like everything was against them, when the task ahead just seemed too daunting, when the people wanted to turn around and run the other way, God kept on encouraging him with the same phrase.  "Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified.  Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."  And this makes me think two things.  1. God knew what He was doing.  He wanted Joshua to trust in Him.  He had great plans in store for His people and was rooting for them to obey.  And 2. Joshua must have been a lot like me.

Because for some reason, no matter how many times I see God's hand provide, His Word prove true, His people come around me when I need them most... I forget what He's told me.  I listen to my own thoughts, and doubts, and fears more than I do to God's Truth.  And so I need to be reminded again... and again... and again...

Here's hoping that someday, I just might learn this thing called trust!  And that in the meantime, I can be thankful for God's abundant patience and persistence as He cheers me on along the way,