When It All Unravels

I planned to return to the blog with a piece about what I have been learning during shelter in place, but the events of the last few weeks can’t be put off until a more convenient time. And so, I hope you will accept this poem as an offering, a moment of soul-searching as I listen to the cries for justice happening across my nation, and an invitation to my community to listen well and seek clarity of vision as these events unfold.

For many, this moment feels incredibly chaotic. It is tempting in such times to quickly lay blame somewhere, anywhere, instead of looking earnestly for Christ at work. It is simpler to lean on my own understanding than to allow Christ to shape me through voices that challenge my perception of the world. It is easier to let the stories roll off than to lament with compassion.

For me, imagery of the Day of Judgment matches my tension as I consider what it would be like to see all the systems that benefit me at the cost of others die. What is my real response to this idea? Honestly, I don’t know. But I know that I trust Jesus to both judge rightly and to have mercy.

Where is He in all this and where does His narrow way lie in this moment?

Will you seek it with me?

Blessings,
Jackie

When It All Unravels

When True Justice unravels it all, will I mourn
The passing of an old order that held chaos at bay for some
At the cost of the human voices, bodies, lives of others
When it all unravels, will we mourn?

When the elements of all earthly assumptions melt, will I scream out fear
Planted generations ago and nourished in hidden places
To defend invisible systems, principalities, powers
When the elements melt, will we scream?

When the rider called True appears, will I know Him
Not just a Lamb but a Lion roaring, his dividing sword winnowing
Cutting between nations and within our very souls
When the rider appears, will we know Him?

When I see the dawn of reconciled humanity, will I welcome the light
As I see the shifting shadows that promised much fading away
Our wealth, progress, comfort rushing along to their destruction
When the light dawns, will we welcome it?

When I pass through the fire of God All-Knowing, what will be left
Of all that I built on this earth; gold or straw
People raised up or trampled down, justice or silence
When we pass through the fire, what is left?