Wednesday 6 March 2013

Wounded Warriors

IF:

...You count crawling out of bed each day as Victorious Christian Living

...Hope rocks back and forth in tandem with your feelings

...The valley floor you walk is mud-slushed with years of pacing

...Going round and round the same mountain is making you dizzy

...The ache is your heart feels like a lead balloon

...Smiling is a lost art which feels forced in the doing

...Your cross feels too heavy to carry one second longer

...You're dead-tired and about to throw in the towel

...You see one more toothpaste-smiley Christian telling you how to secure your miracle and feel you might want to throw up over their perfectly pressed suit..

Then..this prayer is for you




"A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out" ~ Isaiah 42:3

A Prayer for the Hurting


God bless the wounded warriors,
the ones who crawl and cry through,
those who press in and press on 
with leaking eyes and leaking wounds,
the battle-scarred and beaten down.

Bless the broken-hearted,bleeding and bruised
 reeds rubbed raw by those who have 
rubbished and rejected them,
those who can barely lift their face
weighed heavy with shame and disgrace.

Hold those who cannot hold on another minute,
whose lives are fear-filled,
whose faces are tear-filled,
who feel empty of worth and value
of no repute, cast aside, left behind.

Keep safe the ones who are drowning,
whose days and nights 
drip with disappointment,
dread, darkness and torment 
of body and soul.

Cradle the lonely;
let your love wash over them,
embrace their emptiness
and fill with the companionship
that only Your Presence provides.

Come alongside the misunderstood,
the marginalised,
the misfits,
the mayhem makers
and risk takers.

Bring strength to the weary,
grace for the weak,
hope for the hurting,
freedom for captives,
peace for the pain.

The path is long, the way is hard,
finishing line too far to see
as we drag there on our knees,
dry and thirsty for relief
desperate for some ease.

Walk with us as you did of old
on sand-encrusted shore,
dirt-trodden pathways,
seeking and saving 
those who are lost.

For we need you, Lord Jesus;
Your return seems far off,
We fight and we fail,
shout, cry and rail,
for a touch from above.
Amen.
©JoyLenton2013

Here, we admit: Our need to be real, avoid jargon and ill-timed Christianese, recognise struggle, acknowledge the hard path, the road less travelled that many of us tread with wearied steps. 

Here we seek: Not to wallow but to offer empathy, sharing and caring to all wounded souls.

Coming up in a future post: Thoughts, words and prayers to offer hope and healing.

For now: Listen to your heart's cries. Admit your need. See that you are not alone. Take a crumb of comfort from others on the journey. Seek help if life stays painful.

20 comments:

  1. Joy -this post is wonderful, beautiful and crammed with grace & encouragement for me. Thankyou so much. His gentle whispered blessings to you xxx

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    1. Dear friend, your lovely comment makes me want to praise Him who gifts us with words to encourage one another. I am so pleased this spoke to you, Joyce. Blessings in abundance from one wounded soul to another. xx

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  2. Such a beautiful and encouraging post Joy, reminding of the love of God and our friends when the path seems just too steep and lonely. Thank you :)

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    1. Thank you, Mandy. That was my intention. You have summed it up so well. Blessings and peace to you. xx

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  3. Love this, Joy. Sometimes those who are wounded can be fragile and delicate on the inside, but seething and protective on the outside. These are the ones who I find it hardest to give grace. Like the injured animal that bares its teeth at my approach.

    And then there are others. The ones that are like a bruised reed, almost broken completely. These are the ones I find it easy to run to, but also the company of which I am a part. A wounded and weary part.

    Your words are so merciful and healing. Grief must've handed you the pen, like it does me. Thank you.

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    1. Yes, Kelli, we do vary in how we wear our wounds. I tend to lean toward those bruised reeds with more ease too as they feel like kindred souls. Yet, I acknowledge that anger and lashing out are a part of pain for many and have been for me in the past. I do grieve greatly over those in pain of any description, lost lives, hurting people who unwittingly hurt others, and the way church as a whole can grieve us further in its flawed perceptions of the way to handle those in pain. Thank you for seeing and understanding, fellow wounded warrior. :)

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    1. And thank you too, Penelope, for sharing your gratitude for the words God has graced me with. Such encouragement means a lot. Bless you :)xx

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    1. I really appreciate your comment, Anita. Thanks very much for stopping by to cheer me on! Bless you :)xx

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  6. This poem was beautiful. It ministered to my spirit - thank you.

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    1. I am delighted to hear it, Tanya, and grateful to be able to bless one who blesses me so much with her own sweet words. Thank you, my friend!:) xx

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  7. Joy, you ministered to me with your lovely writing. I could have written those words myself, for I know those lines by heart, in my heart and in my life. I have not even read the next step to God-sized dreams or written mine, because I was a overcome with feelings of depression over the weariness that comes with Chronic Fatigue taking over my life, Again. I cried, I prayed, and God has answered giving me more strength of spirit and will, than I have had in a month. I suppose I was confused again, and growing weary of well-doing, not what God wants of us. Thank you for the poem and your lovely writing. You need to publish a book. You are a true poet. Truthfully, I would love to read more and hold it in my hand, not a computer. The computer makes me feel as if I need to think faster, and I feel muddled sometimes. I want to slow down to those times, where I read through a poetry book or one of those great classic books, we had to read in school, and be inspired to write my own book. Oh my, how I go on. Think I will just go slow and grow as God allows. From one friend and writer to another. Love, Deborah

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    1. Hi Debby. Thank you so much for sharing your own journey. My heart goes out to you in recognition of how hard it can be to keep soldiering on. Our God is so faithful to supply more grace just when we need it. I am truly grateful for your thoughts and they echo my desire to write a book...one day! The timing, ways and means are very much in God's hands. Stay encouraged in Him and in fellowship with fellow sufferers who can share your pain. Love and prayers xx

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  8. I love this poem. So needed to read it. Thank you :)

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    1. Thank you for your kind comment. I really appreciate it. Bless you :)

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  9. This is beautiful, Joy. Sensitive and and hopeful, AND authentic. Thank you.

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    1. Hi Kim. Your words are manna to my soul. It is always my desire to be real and stay true to the message God is giving me to write and share. Thank you very much for this lovely comment and for supporting the work God is doing through my writing. I really appreciate it. Bless you :)xx

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  10. Lovely poem, Joy. And oh so true, we need to be real - not just saying a lot of fluffy jargon and Christianese terms.

    Blessings,
    Joan

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    1. Hi Joan. Thank you very much for this lovely encouraging comment. Bless you :)xx

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