On Trying New Things

So I had to write a poem for my Intro to Christian Worship class, and I was terrified by the assignment. I do enjoy writing, but maybe because of my legal background I do not always think of it as a creative endeavor. I am at my core a right-brained person so creative writing is scary to me and poetry to me is the essence of creative writing.

But the class is mandatory and the worship poem is a significant portion of the grade. So I went for it, despite my reservations about my creative writing skills. I found the process itself very liberating, which was surprising because I usually find creative things stressful (my mom took me to one of those paint by the numbers class and it was one of the most stressful experiences of my life trying to make my Christmas tree look like the example!)

Writing the poem helped me process through some feelings, but reminded me of the importance of creative expressions even for Type-A people. Maybe we need them most of all, because it is a way to practice surrender– to be led by our hearts and not our heads.  In writing the poem, I stepped out of my comfort zone, learned a new way of expressing myself, and experienced a fresh expression of God.

Without further ado here it is:

A Song from the Lilies

A Response to “Another Alleluia”

I thought I had reached the end of my song

Night after night

I cried alone

No relief from the sorrow

No reprieve from the questions.

From the depths I called

“My God My God”

“Don’t you care?”

“Don’t you see?”

“Don’t you hear?”

Finally, as night turned to morning,

 I heard the birds softly sing

“He cares for us His morning glories.”

Then I saw the lilies open

As they spun in perfect harmony

Together, they cried to remember

As nature’s chorus we testify

He is a God of detailed care

He is a God that knows each feather and petal

And He hears your every cry

So, my sorrow turned to singing

No immediate relief from the longing

But another alleluia did come

For the One who gave my heart a song

Because He has not left me alone

He gave me the birds of the air to sing

And the lilies of the field to remind

That while I do not know the answers

He hears me when I cry

Under His watchful eye I sing

“All Glory and Honor to the Lamb”

Who looks low from on high

To Him my heart returns to sing

Because a broken alleluia is still

A song worthy of a King.