Sunday, March 20, 2011

Encouragement: Musings and a Poem: Learning to Swim Upstream

It's early Spring, and that's a good time for me.

This is a Facebook post, also a blog post, and a message to the leadership of Genesis Community Church.

Tonight's message from Craig Tackett was one of encouragement . . . involving a challenge to the church body as a whole to make encouraging people a priority, to see if we could actually change the emotional state of the Valley as a whole. Now, this may sound like high hopes, but i think Craig believes it's possible . . . and, because i respect him, i share his belief. It may be a seasonal thing with me . . . Spring always feels like being reborn. I've been very busy lately, seasonal work (also another reason why Spring has been particularly good for me this year), and my poetry postings have gotten pretty sparse. This isn't to say i haven't been writing . . . but i seem to have come to a "cycle change" where more of my hopeful poetry begins. Tonight, after church, i was given a poem . . . that's what it feels like, anyway. It is a message of hope, of encouragement. I want to share it with everyone, and hope that you'll receive it as a "gift."

Learning to Swim Upstream

***

and to you who might sell God short,

let me deliver this report

from the front lines

of a conflict that's gone on longer

than any fight, battle, or war

fought for oppression, for gold, or oil.

now, times are lean,

and those most desperate

are in need of aid,

and less are inclined to give, but

let me tell you this:

God is teaching

His people to swim upstream.

you were born for this,

to return to the Source

of your Creation!

every force, every obstacle,

every impediment

should only encourage you

to greater efforts, to inspire you

to creative survival.

think of the strength you'll gain!

if you bear up

during the hard times,

you'll truly appreciate the good.

this planet

is your neighborhood,

only a temporary residence

before you go home,

but quite a bit wider,

and wilder, than expected.

it's okay, God gets that,

He said it's best to start out small.

you know, in your

corner of the whole.

you'll learn to appreciate

the unobtrusive miracles

unfolding in obscurity,

the blossoming that only

the fewest have

the pleasure or the opportunity

to view. you will be shown where--and how--

to tear back the wreckage

and expose the Truth--and

because of that, the Beauty--

inherent in every

disastrous situation.

know your weakness, understand your flaws;

mark them with signposts

as rugged terrain

where you'll need all His strength

to lean on.

learn to swim

upstream, stroke by stroke.

be expectant

of the strength you need,

the courage for the deed;

they're guaranteed.

i've survived some pretty intense

battles; taking

the higher ground is tough.

but i gotta tell you,

the view from up here

ain't always pretty, but

you can see your target

very clear.

© Todd Pack 03.20.11

1 comment:

TwiztidKitted said...

Wow, Todd, that's pretty deep. I don't know if you remember me or not, but my name is Kim Widger, and back in 2002 I was a part of the Teen Poetry Slam in the Roanoke Library. I just wanted to say that you have influenced my writing to the point where I'm taking photojournalism in college now. Thank you for that!