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 }
Beautiful!!!
thank you Elizabeth. thank you for reading. God bless.
Lovely!
Tracy. He was so misunderstood – but I understand a little of how he could have been. Thank you fr being here. God bless.
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!
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 
Thank you for writing and posting this. And may God bless you as well.
Rae thank you – heartfelt thank yous – God bless you.
Perfect. No other words necessary. Blessings to you!
Thank you Cindee – I don’t know how real poets do it. Your words are kind. Thank you again – and God Bless you.
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
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!!
“the kingdom unexpected
is received by letting go”
Exactly! Amen.
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.
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)!
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.
“we receive by letting go”… so much truth. Lovely.
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.
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.
Nicely done! Good words.
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.
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!
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!
You’ve expounded the Gospel beautifully, Craig.
Michelle. I heart writing for you. Thank you for getting my writing. God Bless.
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.
Thank you Rosita – your words here are kind – and I heart the words on your blog. God Bless you.
lovely…we receive by letting go
It’s not very much like the world – this idea. But it is very God “ish”. No? Thank you – and God Bless.
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
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.
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.
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.
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!
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…
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:)
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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