(g)race: a poem

i'm in an amazing class at denver seminary right now: social and cultural foundations of counseling. it's stretched me, it's challenged me, and ultimately, i hope,  it's made me a better person.

one of our assignments was to watch the movie crash and develop a creative expression afterwards.  

if you haven't seen it, the movie is powerful. so powerful that it pushed me to write a poem as my form of creative expression.

i'm not a poet. in fact, i don't think i've ever written a poem. i'm just not all that creative (or, better yet...i don't give myself a lot of room to be creative). but here it is:

race.

beautiful

but can be so hurtful.

we judge others based on the exterior,

which makes one of us inferior

and the other “superior.”

but what about the interior?

exquisite, unique

and all desperate for His

beautiful

grace. 

may we all break down the walls of our own biases, our own racism, and our own hate. and may we all draw nearer to the ultimate healer...the one who's color is of water.  

you are not alone

the other day i was hanging with a friend at a local establishment. we were talking about life and he started sharing his recent struggles: marriage, job, relationships, faith.

he's going through a lot. and honestly, i was in over my head. i had no clue what to say, where to start, how to offer hope.

it's part of my job. this idea of listening to people and helping them through life. i love it. but, honestly, i had no clue.

i said a quick prayer as he talked and asked god for some wisdom and guidance. for something to say. some way to offer my friend a sense of hope.

i felt like praying helped but i was still at a loss for words. so, i continued to sit and listen to my friend.

divorce.
new career.
hate.
doubt.

and a couple minutes later, the song "timshel" by mumford and sons came playing through the speakers. i thought it a bit coincidental. and perfect.



so, that's where i started. i offered this piece of hope to my friend:

"you are not alone in this, i've got your back. and more then that, god is with you."

he lost it. he cried. right there at our table.

it didn't solve all his problems...he's still facing them. but after the tears dried...he had a sense of hope.

you see, that's what every one of us needs. a sense of hope...that we're not alone. that someone is willing to hold our hand through the good times and the bad. that someone is willing to love us in the midst of our struggles. when they can't see the light...they're still loved.

may we all look to our left and right and may we look for someone who just needs a friend. who needs a hand to hold. who needs to feel loved. may we be like jesus.