Contain the disparate passions
Of this sinner’s ragged, righteous soul
Trap these fleeting dreams and fashion
Something solid, something whole.
I am cowed by all the barriers
And lured forward by a dream
That’s both skeletal and consuming
Hold my hand while fears are looming
And I’ll wade into the stream.
Put sinews on this skeleton
Breathe life into the dream
Anoint my head and joints with oil
So these stiffest joints move like a child’s
And the shield of faith absorbs my frightened scream.
Note: This poem hails from my fundraising days as I was preparing to move to Hungary, and I was terrified: terrified of fundraising, terrified of teaching, terrified of leaving America, terrified of Hungary, and yet terrified of staying where I was (which was Subway!). Those were hard days, but over and over again, Jesus sustained me. There is no other way I can explain having moved to Hungary for those three years. I was practically immobilized by my own fears – it was always his strength that moved me forward.
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