Incredulous Word

“Incredulous! For all he does
     Is walk around and talk all day!
          I could go ’round and
              Talk all day with friends of mine
                   And nothing much would
                        Happen in our world.

“This Brian guy –
     If he’d said that to me
          I’d say, 'Okay, goodbye',
              And dropped him like
                   The jerk he seemed to be.

“That’s how I see it anyway –
     Apart from issues ’bout his pay
          And cost of projects,
               Church, and such –

“It’s not about the world I know:
     Cash raised at benefit?
          We could not do that
                In a year
                     You know.

“So, like,
     How could this speak
          Into my life?
               Help me and mine
                    Get on with life?
                          Incredulous it is
                               Indeed –
                                    Incredulous.”

Her words poured out,
     Surprising to my ears,
          As she spoke on
               About her world –
                    So clear and simple,
                         Yet frustration high
                               (though taken well
                                    In stride,
                                        Quite practically,
                                             With
                                                  Changes
                                                         To her route).

“For who would pay me
     For what I most
         Wish to be
              And do?

You know me, Stu –
     How can you hold
          Such vision out
               Before my
                    Growing eyes?

“A vision I can’t hope to reach
     Though I should live
          To be a thousand-
               Thousand years
                    Of age –
                          Incredulous –
                               It seems.”

And yet,
     In worlds of fantasy
          Where magic,
               Goblins,
                   Dragons roam,
                        She spins fine tales
                             Beyond all
                                  Incredulity
                                       For fun –
                                            Enjoyment of
                                                A yet
                                                     Unseeing group.

What is it?
     What are the words
          She spoke to me
               So clearly?

Startled me
     They did –

It took my breath away!
     And was not
         ’Till the morning next
               My vision cleared –
                    I realized
                        My role
                             In life –

That’s all I’d ever done –
     Just walk around
          And talk with folks
               All day!

And there it was!
     Caught in
          That clear expression
               Of surprised
                    Rejection of the fact –

The Word –
     The word
          With all its
               Stark simplicity,
                    Is all it took
                         For God to make
                              This splendid
                                   Universe
                                        Of ours –

The word – the word
     With all its
          Spoken, written,
               Spun out
                    Magic
                          Powers –

The word –
     With all its potent
          Clear
               Simplicity.

The word –
     Of wisdom,
          First created,
               Through which
                    All was later
                         Made,
                              So all the rest
                                   Was in that
                                        Wisdom
                                             Cloaked with
                                                  Charm.

The word –
     Incarnate
          Living here
               Among our sinful lives,
                    Becoming flesh;
                         When dwelling here with us,
                               So full
                                    Of grace
                                         And truth.

Yes – there it was
     Her question –
          Simple words
               Expressing
                    Incredulity –

And yet so true!
     For who would guess
          The power of our words
               To clarify,
                    Give guidance,
                         Hold folks up,
                              When all around
                                    Has faltered,
                                         Fallen to the ground
                                              In hopeless disarray!

Yes, there it was,
     Defining in its simple-ness,
          And clarity of life –
               No way!
                    There’s just no way
                          A word or two
                               Can make a universe!

For we’re not God –
     (If God indeed did that!)
           There’s simply
                Not a way
                     A word
                          Can make
                               Or change
                                    A world
                                         Like this –
                                              Incredible
                                                   That is.

And yet –
     And yet she’d done just that –
          For through the fed-back words
               I heard from her,
                   A clarifying word
                         I had not heard
                             Through all the rest –

A word –
     Affirming all He’d said and done
          Through me
               Through all these years –

And more –
     Affirming all He has in mind,
          As I push forward
                In my life
                     And work,
                          Despite
                               What others
                                     Think,
                                          Or say,
                                               Or do –

I thank You, Lord,
     For sharing what You think –
          Your word
               For me –

Mixed in –
     Entwined within,
          And through
               The words
                    You had
                         Her speak
                               To me –

I thank you, Lord,
     For clarifying
          Through her simple words
               Your thoughts –
                    Reminding me,
                         Through process,
                              Of the power
                                    In all life
                                         Of spoken
                                              Word.

Your multi-play –
     Reminds me also
          How this incident
               Plays out
                    (Or can, at least)
                         Within her world –

As she
     Sees impact of her words
          Within my
                Life
                    And work.

I smile –
     I smile indeed
          As you fulfill
               Your word –
                    That words
                         From You
                              Like rain
                                   Bring forth new growth –

And don’t
     Return to you
          Until their task
               Is done –

For yet again
     We see just that –
          Embedded in
               These simple words
                    And bearing in their
                          Form –

A part of water
     In that brook
          Which flows by roots
                Of trees beside
                     The river bank –

She’s nourished too!
     And as she
          Goes ahead
               And spins her merry tales
                    Of fantasy,
                         Delightful yarns,
                              For all the girls
                                   And boys
                                         I’ll never
                                              Reach –

She goes –
     And ever knows
          That once –
               Just once, at least,
                    Your word
                         Flowed
                             Mingled with
                                  Her words –
                                       Unbeknownst to her,
                                            And brought
                                                  Refreshing rain
                                                       To this –
                                                            The parched and
                                                                And barren
                                                                      Soil
                                                                           Of my soul.

Thanks.

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