“Kinda Messy But The Job's Done” (Ps.127) [Spanish Jerusalem Bible Series - Psalms sub-series]

A Home-Ec major showed me how to cook
In ways avoiding a wrap-up’s bombshell look –
“Just tidy up as you move on your way;
Don’t let it sit until guests go away”.

And then there’s job-site when I renos do –
For weeks and months it has the war-zone view.
Job sites are messy ’till the job’s all done;
At least that’s how my renovations run.

Here in this Psalm of God’s returning folks –
They’d come back, singing, laughing, full of jokes;
But they’d departed in a tearful state
That God, through them, could renovations make.

I love the Spanish term that’s used in this –
recoge (harvest), but that meaning’s mixed –
With echoes of, “Hey, let’s clean job-site up;
A job so big the exiles found it tough.

So laughter, joy, and songs at coming home
After disaster, when away they’d roamed
From straight and narrow, got bent out of shape –
Now restoration’s done, the mess awaits.

For us, as we soon face the cleanup task
After pandemic, Lord, of You, we ask –
Make what we build leave lesser life behind;
Open our eyes to where we’ve been so blind.

We have gone out with tears for those who’ve died;
For others, tensions gave a merry ride –
Riots; injustice; system-weakness seen;
Veneer stripped off a life that was quite mean.

Thanks for this chance to move along from here,
Picking up pieces, with our way made clear;
Don’t let despair bring reno-work to end;
Rather, may we Your vision comprehend.

Thanks for this, Lord.

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