There is an obedience
that is driven by fear.
It has kept many in line
for many many years.
Cruel master,
with purposeless
tasks….
for all the world to see
for all the world to hear…
Requiring obedience greater than
humanity could muster…
And Paul, who once was slave
to the merciless foe
spoke of a different path
an obedience that comes from faith,
from relationship,
from knowing
and being known
from a purity wrought with freedom
in fully realizing
that you can…but choose not to….
because it would hurt too much
to hurt those you love
including yourself….
This tender compliance requires measure
to deny and self regulate,
to look beyond the nagging
of desire and refrain…
Yet still in weakness, It condemns not
with recompense
Fully aware that any attempt at
outward obedience
for appearance sake
creates only Fear Faith
that diminishes and controls
oh it appears well
but really is only like
the minutia of
spice tithing,
while our neighbor dies
from thirst ..
We can try to build walls
to keep people in
keep them right
keep them pure,
keep them acting
like all the other people
who do it right….
And for a while
we can behave
and think we present
pretty well….if we do say so ourselves
but the image is distorted
when held to the Light…
we are really still broken,
and unclean
in need of a savior
who does more than
give us a good face
to show up and talk right.
and bring our offering.
We need the intimacy
of purpose… that sweet treasure
gifted but seldom discovered because
we are too worried about counting spices.
to know that we really
do matter even when we don’t get
it right.
We miss the comfort of understanding
there is One who knew us
before we were born,
who whispered our names
to our parents anxious hearts
the Knitter of souls….
hemming us in
behind and before,
Allowing us to live safe
outside the walls
of the spice tithers,
safe to choose,
to make mistakes,
to ask for forgiveness…and get it
because of who we are
and not because of what
we do….