Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13 NLT
I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me. John 10:14 NLT
Today’s poem captures snippets of conversations I have had with a friend who has suffered much. It alludes to the question that perhaps we all raise in one way or another, “Why does a good God allow suffering?” To really grapple with the question takes a certain amount of bravery, let alone live the stories that prompt it. Following the poem, is a scaffolding of scripture references from which to explore further if you are interested.
My Sister is Suffering
My sister is suffering,
years now into it
breathing loss in pinched increments
as if it were air.
My heart rends a little each day
waiting.
Translucent
her beauty,
shines through
as if the holes
filled in
with flowers.
“Jesus is here!
In Gennesaret.”
We conversed
on our hurried way.
I asked
“How will we know…?”
She said simply
“I wait each day—
his sustaining glance
his whispers round suffering
his assurance of keeping
I wait each day.”
“His voice I know
His whispered caress
‘Easy, my child
you’ve nothing to fear.
I am with you in pain
My strength will suffice.’
So filled up with Jesus,
this sister of mine
“Oh, Brother, I’ll know Him
It will take but a touch.
I’ll know him, dear brother—
let’s hurry, let’s fly.”
jfig 3/2020
Psalm 27: John 17:3; Romans 5:1-5; Romans 8:16; I Corinthians 1:23,24; John 10:14
Psalm 27:13 Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Photo was taken by Cathy Barger Hoesterey near Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I chose this photo for the fierceness with which this young girl cares for her siblings.
Roasted Words 