Hope to a Hungry Sparrow
tent worms nest
in apple tree leaves
in limbs raised
reaching skyward
as if to heaven
leaves rustling in the
still quiet
green raiment devoured
without a sound
bagworms dangle from
family fur shrubs landscape
by porch steps, garage doors
under windowsills
leeching nutrients
until pine needles devoured
limbs browned
the high and low siphoned away
peace, joy stripped
how, some ask, in the devouring
and leeching – how can
God be good
or true
– to let us endure
hard times, challenging times
hurting fearful times
that pull and drain
threatening the root and heart
of us
how could there be any good
in a righteous man dying
a hammer and nail driven
death on a cross?
but there was
good
God’s kind of good
in the unfairness of Christ’s death:
salvation for all mankind
The great I am is
the hope message
in the challenge
in the high and low
likely and unlikely places
like tent worms give hope
to a hungry sparrow
“Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good” (Romans 8:26-28).
(a repost today – because I have been steeping with family in this cool autumn weather – and the photo and message warmed me where I am! Shalom, friends)
There you are “Blue Cotton” You are SUCH an encourager. Hope you have a great day.
I had a beautiful day,Chris – and thank you for stopping by. Sometimes those tent worm challenges are needed to take us from glory to glory!
Yes, my friend, we will never understand on this side of eternity what our
Lord Jesus gave up to become a man, but like the Bible says that God’s thoughts are so much higher than ours and we only see dimly until we finally go home!
Blessings XX
Mia
Through our tent-worm challenges, we grow closer to Him – if we allow. Through His great challenge, He allowed a way for us to grow close to Him – for our challenges to be the fire that reshapes us into His image. Thank you for coming by Mia! Wishing you blessings this week!
I am lifted here
reminded of peace, hope
His love
Oh, yes – I am so glad you saw the peace and hope that comes of these tent worm challenges! There are so many heart-breaking challenges in our community – and sometimes in ourselves – it is reminders of hope and peace that bring us through! Thank you for coming by – wishing you moments of hope and peace this week!
Hmm! Made me think. And, making me think is a good thing. Thanks.
Thank you for coming by Joanne – so glad I made you think. One of the things I enjoy about poetry is you can just lay your heart right out there, opened up – and not have to give specifics – but somehow it becomes universal – when the heart is involved.
wow. simply wow. you’ve recalibrated me this afternoon. and made me long for something even more alive and vibrant, my friend. and for this, I can only say ‘thanks.’
Thank you for coming by Linda. Honored that my heart-pourings recalibrated you – you blessed me with your comment.
An interesting tension in the destroying and the nourishing.
Yes – there is a tension – isn’t there – in the challenge – the pain and rawness of it – and that tension is what causes us to pull on Him, to bring Him in to it. What you took away from this has opened my eyes even more to the relationship of the challenge and our need for Him.
Beautiful 🙂
Thank you,Lyli! Wishing you blessing this week!
Beautiful reminder, I enjoy your blog 🙂
Thank you Ashley for your kind comment! Wishing you blessing in the week- and peace and hope in your challenges!
That is beautiful Maryleigh. It is amazing how even in the worst of situations, for believers there is beauty.
God bless you!
Beth
Yes – Beth – God can bring something good out of every bad situation/crisis! Thank you for coming by and for your encouraging comment!
The gospel. It never gets old, shared beautifully here.
When God equipped us, He gave us the gospel, and the Holy Spirit and His son – and they never stop working or need new parts or go out of style – He gave us the best to get through the hard moments. Thank you for coming by and leaving sweet encouragement!
Inspired writing.
Love this especially:
“but there was
good
God’s kind of good
in the unfairness of Christ’s death:
salvation for all mankind
The great I am is
the hope message”
There have been a lot of heart challenges for folks in our community – and without God it seems so unfair. So much in life could be stamped as unfair, not right, why-things – but when I realized how Christ experienced the greatest unfairness – it allows me to believe something good can come out of every challenge. Thank you for coming by Lisa and your encouraging words!
Oh, this is just beautiful. Beautiful art. And I’m thinking about the ways poetry and other art helps us make sense of the hardest things.
Sometimes logic just doesn’t work. I cannot really paint – but poetry allows us to paint a picture with emotion etched in it that reveals the workings of the heart – exactly like you said it “helps us make sense of the hardest things.” Thank you for coming by – you always bring a gift of sweet encouragement!
Wow…..those last lines got me. Our family has been through some dying/new birth times in the last few weeks. All of it is God’s cycle of good. You captured it so beautifully.
Jody – I like how you say it’s “God’s cycle of good” – that is it exactly! Wishing you peace in your loss and joy in your gain!
There’s so much that I love about this post. First of all, your prose about God’s love and hope to us all is just beautiful, Maryleigh! And that photo – so spectacular! Then the version of that Bible verse is so powerful and graphic. Is it the Message version? Thanks so much for sharing all of these aspects with us, my friend. So inspiring!
Thanks for coming by Beth – and yes, it is The Message translation – and the photo was an early morning walk in Williamsburg in October a definite Hope moment to the hungry sparrow of my heart!
Whoa! This was so beautiful!! I would love to be able to make my words bring so much joy and comfort. You have a gift. ♥
Thank you Nannette for coming by and bringing such kind words with you! This poem/post came out of a very challenging situation in my son’s community – a challenge where the prayer is that only things of God take root in the midst of that challenge. Our hearts have ached and hoped in faith – and faith is winning! Sometimes poetry allows me/us to say things logic cannot! Wishing you sweet blessings this weekend:)
Maryleigh
Oh! How many times has God had to make prays out of my wordless sighs. Very beautiful!
I am so glad God can translate our wordless signs! Thank you for your sweet words! Hoping you hope-to-a-hungry-sparrow moments this weekend!
Maryleigh
Thank you for sharing this encouraging poem.
Thank you for coming by Judith. Wishing you a week filled with hope moments!
I missed this the first time, so I’m thankful you posted it again. Happy autumn.
I’ll take “God’s kind of good,” over my idea of what is good – every time! Loved these reflections, my friend.
Oh, how I love this sparrow’s-eye view of the world!
Love the poem & pic Maryleigh! We’ve had problems with Borers in our older trees in our yard, that have now sadly killed the trees 😬.
I worked a way to connect even if one photo is upside down for some unknown reason, 😂
Blessings,
Jennifer
Beautifully expressed!
I can see those little critter hanging from our trees in South Texas, devouring…devouring! But the Good News overpowers all no matter what it looks like on the surface. And that Sparrow got a meal too!
This is beautiful. It’s a reminder that God is multi-faceted. He allows the devouring in our lives. But He is the One who also restores and refreshes. Because Jesus was (temporarily) devoured by death, God raised Him, which gives us hope in the times when we feel devoured as well. Loved your thoughts here!
I too found beauty here, Maryleigh, and also encouragement. Praise God He is good all the time, just like the old chorus says. Even when tent worms seek to destroy, they cannot interfere with God’s love for us or His presence with us!