“...But Deliver Us From Evil”  [Reflections on Email Response to Query - #1]  

“What’s evil, friend?” I ask of him,
“I don’t know where I should begin
To make a black-hat in my yarn,
Who’s brought to goodness mortal harm”.

He answered briefly, to the point,
Quite multi-layered – I’d anoint
It with my accolades of praise
For helping focus writing ways.

Or “editing” at least, re-write,
As all my folks are “very nice”
“Community of Saints”, except
Some “Baddies” there I’m quite inept.

Encourager I am – I feel
“Potential” rise to meet me – and steal
Affections, interest; draws me in –
Not dark, foreboding realm of sin.

But then, Christ’s line comes back to me –
“From evil, God deliver me”;
From what? If I don’t pick it up
On radar, is that not enough?

And where does Holy Spirit fit?
Christ’s death and rising, and that to bit
About the end times – some will burn
Eternally – reward they’ve earned?

“Well, yes,” I’d say, “it’s not that bad –
Oft well-intentioned, mostly sad”;
But somewhere deep inside my breast
A hunch exists – we’ll find the rest –

Off the oasis, buffer gone;
Where struggle is to get along;
Or in the halls of privilege,
Where power’s swayed to tear the bridge –

From a Lazarus to Dives, thus make
Comfort secure, so some can take
Their fill of comfort all their days
While playing God in way that pays.

Now fifty-four folks own as much
As bottom third of world – it’s such
A travesty (decoy at least
From me – my scope and scale as beast).

I once adapted game for group
Low key, so gentle-types don’t spook –
Across the gym floor poker chips
Three sets of rules on three groups’ lists.

Within the game (stacked from the start),
Each group played out a different part
The powerbrokers; middle-class;
And poor folks, quite laid-back alas.

Half-time back to their rooms to plan;
Intensity swept through their “Lands”
As chips were seized, removed from play,
Resource for all gone in one day.

But poor in life and rich folks too
Fell into roles like me and you;
It’s human tendency for all;
It’s been like that since Adam’s fall.

So thank-you friend, I’ll think on this,
Digest your words, ask what I miss,
Which Babel’s gift removes from view –
Perceiver’s eyes bring so much new.

Thanks Lord for this.

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