“The ‘Civilizing Force’ On Life (Rev.21:24-26) [Reflections on Book: Wm.C.King (ed) Portraits and Principles of The World's Great Men And Women Chicago: The King-Richardson Co. 1899 - # 1/100]

The problem with the British shtick they gave us,
Was arrogance and pride of place for them;
They saw themselves a cut above the others,
That they could waive the rules now and again.

Thus missionaries found their message tainted
With baggage brought from culture’s ways of home,
Adhering to their inner cores of being –
“Died in the wool” their arrogantial tone.

I’ve been there, Lord, a curse of thing that’s blessing
Me as I cross such cultured lines of life;
I’m hearing, “Let one hand now wash the other;
Both cultures are imperfect; partly right.

“You can’t escape life’s imperfections either,
No matter how your culture-code stands out;
Be glad you’ve got the Kingdom-layer to stand on,
From which to view what both are all about.

“Like, take this exercise of older readings,
Reflecting attitudes from former days;
You were exposed to mixtures you are reading,
But now you get to dust off part that pays.

“It’s much like when they dig up kitchen middens
As now in front of Parliament itself;
The dirt preserved the artifacts they’re finding,
Which later they’ll display in box or shelf.

“So sift and sort to these printed words for treasures,
Now broken into potsherds made from clay;
A hint of all they’ll give – it doesn’t matter –
Like poetry, go in, hear what they say.

“Then take their buried treasure for reflection,
In terms of present life and what’s ahead;
Let go of parts which hold no honor, glory;
The best’s for New Jerusalem instead.

So are there any nuggets in this item,
Amidst obnoxious attitudes and such?
Or is it mostly dirt that needs replacing
In trench so excavation looks untouched?

Why yes, two items, have for me, some value –
This “Excavator” task I had not seen;
And world as aptly suited for the honing
Of character, whatever else it’s been.

I had not viewed the mess as being helpful,
Life’s challenges as having any use;
But now I see that toughness has its blessing –
It bids us speak of challenge not excuse.

For that does not excuse, accept, or praise it,
It simply flags some task which could be done
By someone – “Why not me?” It’s subtext rising,
That preparations now could be begun.

So Lord, those two give lots for me to ponder,
They put a framework on my work to date –
“I’m a boxing up some excavated treasures,
Like fragments from some ancient broken plate.

I now recall Denise’s question to me –
About her culture’s broken fragments there
Beneath some bushes – “How to piece together
What once was whole – that’s now beyond repair?”

Don’t have to – as a whole it’s now outdated;
It’s Spirit that makes culture ever new;
As one encounters present and the future,
These fragments of the past show what to do.

If something is of value it remaineth
To be discovered once again today;
Don’t sweat the parts now lost in kitchen middens,
Take up what’s valued, let it bless your way.

Just look at what’s been gleaned from ancient China,
Which helps us gain perspective in our scene –
Sun Tzu and all his friends had no idea
How much to other folks his words would mean.

So thank You, Lord, for these two bits of thinking,
Within this kitchen midden on my desk;
Perhaps it’s time to sort out the remainder,
And celebrate, through use, the part that’s best.

Thanks Lord for this.

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