Like a child, who,
in the whimsy
of his innocence,
begs for unending
entertainment,
I sought the
splendor of the Father’s
miraculous wonder.
Captive to the captivating,
my heart’s appetite
was easily satiated
in that which only
yields the explanation
God is real.
For at their making
came the effortless
validation that
God loves us.
Yet, now, long after
these eyes
witnessed self-inflicted
scars disappear
at the shout of His name,
and years since
they last wept
at one’s body
falling limp
to His overwhelming
power,
my former naivety
is exposed by
the maturity of responsibility.
Entrusted with
a crown upon my head
and the generation
destined to carry
His name
once I slumber,
I now know
the proclamation
of my faith
demands one thing:
the constant strain
of embracing death.
Having once mistaken
gluttony for nourishment,
this heart now starves
for a different sustenance.
The maggots feeding
on yesterday’s
marvelous manna
are exchanged
for the consumption
of all that is provided
in seeing and knowing
the face of my Christ.
Because as I stare
into the eyes of fire,
I am mesmerized
by the greatest wonder
we hardly perceive.
There is a Man
within the glory.
Humble unto death,
His radiance declares
that He is risen.
Yet, the longer
I peer into
the lamp of my Savior
the more His meekness
unveils
the might He demonstrates,
as such a Man
takes on a form
that does not compel
us to turn our gaze
for the sake
of our own pleasure.
Yet,
I cannot look away.
And as His tender eyes
meet mine,
compassion beams
through the flames,
conveying to me
He understands.
Without the need
for Him to speak,
this heart now indulges
in witnessing
that before
this Man
walked on water
or raised a dead man,
He was a man -
a Man whose form
fully expressed the majesty
of our Maker
through the consistent suffering
of obedience.
It is this wonder
which has become
the daily bread
that feeds my heart,
for it reveals
this man was not made
for works
that one day may be forgotten.
Rather, I have been formed
to partake in His likeness -
to be a man,
who when given unto death
is raised into Life;
a man whose countenance,
through much suffering
of obedience,
will shine
with His splendor,
proclaiming
salvation belongs
to the Lord.