In which we gain by letting go

by Craig on March 23, 2011

Today I’m linking with Ann Voskamp and many other of God’s own

and walking with Our Lord toward Easter,

and considering: The Practice of Letting Go

Holding fast to misconception,
some would never know
the kingdom unexpected
is received by letting go

following You,
like bees to flower
but no ears to hear

only ears that heard
words they wanted,
so it all remained 

unclear.

no more longing,
no more yearning,
no more thirst

no more hunger
endless bread

last

now

first

wealthy deprived
showers of gold
might would plummet
the meek become bold

weakness would vanish
infirmity mend
the powerless seize power
their kingdom never end

slaves now kings

captives set free

conquerors be conquered

it was all that they could see

Holding fast to misconception,
some would never know
the kingdom unexpected
is received

by letting go.

Their Messiah would vanquish,
conquer,
live.

You were captive,
overthrown,
your own life

you

would

give

Their Messiah would summon crowds,
not walk among them

Brandish swords

But You…

You planted seeds
you turned your cheek
You rendered to Caesar

Your crown was thorns
Your robe was blood
Your throne a tomb
Your sword?

Love

The kingdom in their midst
slips through their fingers


just as sand

given now
to other people
other places

other

lands

so they remained
in waiting

thirsty

hungry

poor

weak

because the words they thought they heard
were words
you did not speak

but some…

some would let go…

some would let go of what they thought you were
cling tight
to who you are

consider weakness strength
heirs to a throne unseen
captive to each other

forgiven,

purchased,

clean

drink deep
of living
water

exalt the role of slave

eat bread of life, and letting go

and them…

you

would

save

no more longing,
no more yearning,
no more thirst

no more hunger
endless bread

last

forever

first

Holding fast to our confession
the kingdom unexpected
we receive by letting go.

God Bless.

{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }

Elizabeth March 23, 2011 at 9:24 am

Beautiful!!!

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Craig March 23, 2011 at 12:12 pm

thank you Elizabeth. thank you for reading. God bless.

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Tracy March 23, 2011 at 10:15 am

Lovely!

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Craig March 23, 2011 at 12:14 pm

Tracy. He was so misunderstood – but I understand a little of how he could have been. Thank you fr being here. God bless.

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Cora March 23, 2011 at 10:40 am

some would let go of what they thought you were
cling tight
to who you are. . .

May I, with one had open my clenched fist and let go, and with the other, hold so tightly to who He is. I won’t forget this, and I will be back to read and reread. So powerful! I can’t tell you how thankful I am for your gift today!

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Craig March 23, 2011 at 12:28 pm

I only write poems once every hundred years or so. POETRY IS HARD! I’M NOT A POET! Poets breathe poetry. I just keep moving the words around like legos until, quite by mistake, a poem emerges :) Legos are good that way – words too :)

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Rae March 23, 2011 at 10:57 am

Thank you for writing and posting this. And may God bless you as well.

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Craig March 23, 2011 at 12:32 pm

Rae thank you – heartfelt thank yous – God bless you.

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Cindee Snider Re March 23, 2011 at 11:10 am

Perfect. No other words necessary. Blessings to you!

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Craig March 23, 2011 at 12:33 pm

Thank you Cindee – I don’t know how real poets do it. Your words are kind. Thank you again – and God Bless you.

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Kara March 23, 2011 at 11:31 am

Wow. wow wow wow!!!

This is so very beautiful. I would love to read this to our home group. What a gift you have Craig. Truly, I’m in awe.

May you have a blessed week,
Kara

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Craig March 23, 2011 at 12:40 pm

Thank you Kara. I just kind of feel for the many who looked for him – saw him – yet rejected him. They had preconceptions – they thought the messiah should be what they wanted him to be. I think it was a whole lot easier to miss him when he came than we think. Prophecies, maybe, are sometimes much easier to believe in before they come true. Thank you Kara. Thank you. May you have a blessed week as well!!

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Lisa notes... March 23, 2011 at 11:33 am

“the kingdom unexpected
is received by letting go”

Exactly! Amen.

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Craig March 23, 2011 at 12:41 pm

Lisa, thank you. I would never have thought of writing this at all if not for Ann. The woman works miracles she isn’t even aware of. God bless you. Amen.

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Alicia March 23, 2011 at 1:00 pm

You title captured my audience. In which we gain by letting go.
Your poetry speaks volumes to me as I. hold fast.
Believing the depths of this writing is spoken to you first, within the sharing.
Blessings to you(rs)!

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Craig April 2, 2011 at 12:35 pm

Sometimes I press the wrong button and make a new comment instead of a response to a comment – I did it here and am just now noticing – didn’t want yu to think I didn’t read what you said :)

And thank you much Alicia. Your words are truly kind. God never arrives on the scene quite the way we think he will. I have to remember this – Our Lord is powerfully unique. Blessings to you and yours too Alicia. Blessings.

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Anna March 23, 2011 at 1:12 pm

“we receive by letting go”… so much truth. Lovely.

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Craig March 23, 2011 at 8:26 pm

And Anna – I just noticed your comment got kind of stuck in my spam blocker. It has been roundly reprimanded and it will not happen again. Sorry for the trouble. Thank you for being patient.

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Craig March 23, 2011 at 1:20 pm

Thank you Anna. I have to give Ann all the credit for the idea. God bless you and yours and thank you for stopping by.

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Lisa Easterling March 23, 2011 at 6:11 pm

Nicely done! Good words.

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Craig April 2, 2011 at 12:37 pm

Sometimes I press the wrong button and make a new comment instead of a response to a comment – I did it here and am just now noticing – didn’t want you to think I didn’t read what you said :) This is what I wrote back to you…

Lisa, thank you. I’m looking forward to reading more of your words. You’ve been a blessing today.

And God bless YOU.

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Debbie March 24, 2011 at 1:31 am

I love it when you write poems! This one is a treasure. Thank you! And Craig, I think that I still have trouble with this misconception thing, am still discovering Him being different than what I had in mind. God bless you as He uses you each day!

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Craig March 24, 2011 at 8:34 am

Deb – I hate it when I write poems!!!! I sit down and the idea seems so easy. Then the words are so stingy – they don’t do what they’re supposed to and don’t lay down all pretty until I threaten to jump off the roof – or some other dire thing!!! Poetry is too hard. I leave it to poets like you :) Thank you Deb. God bless you too – he uses you!

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Michelle March 24, 2011 at 5:11 am

You’ve expounded the Gospel beautifully, Craig.

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Craig March 24, 2011 at 8:35 am

Michelle. I heart writing for you. Thank you for getting my writing. God Bless.

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Rosita March 24, 2011 at 9:18 pm

This is beautiful! And so incredibly true: “we receive by letting go”. Thanks for the kind comment you left on my blog last week. I followed the link and found yours. :) I am blessed.

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Craig March 25, 2011 at 10:07 am

Thank you Rosita – your words here are kind – and I heart the words on your blog. God Bless you.

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the fisherlady March 25, 2011 at 12:00 am

lovely…we receive by letting go

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Craig March 25, 2011 at 10:08 am

It’s not very much like the world – this idea. But it is very God “ish”. No? Thank you – and God Bless.

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Trish March 25, 2011 at 1:31 am

The upside down Messiah.
Saving by perishing from the world..giving Himself away..that we might have all that He is.
Craig your words are Spirit breathed..even if your breath was laboured in the forming of this beautiful poem to Our Lord!
Thank you so much..
Trish

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Craig March 25, 2011 at 10:11 am

Amen – totally upside down. And amen too – the breathing WAS LABORED – poetry is best left for real poets – the – it kills me – but I like it when I’m done – and after the ones I write here – I look at them and say “Where did that come from?” I think he helps – because I’m really not a poet. Thank YOU Trish. And God bless.

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Christina March 25, 2011 at 7:45 pm

Wow! I loved it! Poetry really speaks to the heart. I love how you described the difference between what was expected and what really happened.

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Craig March 26, 2011 at 7:47 am

I have to give Ann the credit for that angle. It was her idea to explore “letting go” and so I thought Easter – and eventually “letting go of misconceptions”. Yay Ann.

It really is so sad that they waited ever since the Exile – ever since they lost their kingdom 400 years before Our Lord came – always looking for the Messiah – building expectations – experienced false Messiahs one after the other – and rightly rejecting them all – and then comes the True Messiah – and he also gets rejected. I want to get judgy about that – but I can’t – I’m no better – WE are no better – only HE is. Thank you Christina – poetry doesn’t happen too often with me – I get bruises all over every time I do battle with poetry :) Thank you very much – and God Bless.

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A. March 25, 2011 at 11:02 pm

What a poem…rich with powerful yet simple truth!…how to have the kingdom unexpected. It really makes us trust Him, doesn’t it? Otherwise it is way too scary to let go. Thank you for laboring over this for us, Craig!

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Craig March 26, 2011 at 7:50 am

Poetry is so hard – it’s like a non artist (read me) trying to draw a circle and be happy with it. Circle after circle and I am never satisfied – circles – and straight lines – artists say you don’t have to – but it’s easy for them – they draw by gift – I do poetry not by gift – but by war!!! War with words. They don’t bend for me like they do for a true poet. Thank you A. grrrrrrrrrrrrrr I labor over them – but they always turn out ok in the end. There’s a lesson there somewhere…

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Christina March 26, 2011 at 8:26 am

That’s the beauty of poetry, the fact that something beautiful comes from the battle and the bruises. I spend hours on my poetry and agonize over it because I have a picture in my head and can’t always find the words to describe it. It’s a labor of love. Keep writing poems–I enjoy reading them:)

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Craig March 26, 2011 at 8:46 am

I will Christina – because as you say – they speak in ways that prose can’t. But grrrrrrrr I hate the process. Thank you for the encouragment – the way I write now is not the same as I wrote before encountering writing like Ann and Amber Haines, and Emily Wierenga (sp) so if it can change – maybe someday the poems will go from almost unbearably hard to the milder form – as you put it “agony” – thank you. I’m smiling. God Bless.

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