Poem: "His footprints"

[ysabetwordsmith]

This poem was prompted and sponsored by minor_architect, who wondered if Jesus walking on water might have changed the Sea of Galilee in some way.  (Read a version of this miracle from the Bible in John 6:16-21.)  I have always thought that Jesus must have come down as much for the world as for humankind, so this prompt got me wondering about what He might have

Comments

[kyleri]

From th PoV of a (pretty mystical) Christian -- wow. You've given me a lot to think about here, only I guess I don't have to think about it too hard, because it just makes _sense_. Out of all of God's creation, why would he only have come to us?

(One might reply that we're the only ones who need Him quite so bad, to whack us onna head and tell us to cut it out, but perhaps thats sophistry. ;)

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> From th PoV of a (pretty mystical) Christian -- wow. You've given me a lot to think about here, only I guess I don't have to think about it too hard, because it just makes _sense_. Out of all of God's creation, why would he only have come to us? <<

Yay! I'm happy to hear that this worked for you. I actually did spin out some of it from Biblical references which hint, very occasionally, that God is mindful of absolutely everything in the whole of creation.

>>One might reply that we're the only ones who need Him quite so bad, to whack us onna head and tell us to cut it out, but perhaps thats sophistry.<<

I figured that each audience would receive a personalized message. Jesus gave different sermons to different people, based on what they needed to hear and learn. What the world has to experience, and to discover, must be very different from what small humans do.

Re: Thank you!

[kyleri]

'xactly! Our perspective is so very small, after all -- even when we try to embrace larger things, we can only do so much.

Do you happen to have those Bible references to hand? If not, don't go digging them up unless you really want to, but now I'm curious...

Re: Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>Our perspective is so very small, after all -- even when we try to embrace larger things, we can only do so much.<<

If you go to the ocean with a teacup, you cannot hold the whole ocean therein. But if you cup your hands and dip them into the water, you can hold the whole ocean in your fingers.

>>Do you happen to have those Bible references to hand? If not, don't go digging them up unless you really want to, but now I'm curious...<<

I ran a quick search for the sparrow quote, which is the one I remembered specifically and which is alluded in the poem. It turned up this essay about God's mindfulness with references to that and some other examples:
http://www.padfield.com/2001/sparrow.html

[minor_architect]

Being a somewhat unorthodox believer in God myself, this poem doesn't annoy me in the slightest. In fact, I like the reminder that faith is one of the powers which can open a soul, even though such an opening takes time. So someone like me might forget that it's even there - hence the need for reminders. ;)

Well done!

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm glad you like this poem.

I think that people often get caught up in the idea that power has to be something forceful and directed. But divine energy isn't -- it is subtle and gentle and patient and implacable. Eventually the irresistible force wears through the immovable object.

Faith is all about recognizing that the rock is going to have a hole in it someday, even if it isn't visible yet.

[the_vulture]

Yes, you are right to think I would like this poem. Thank you for pointing me to it. :)

*hugs*

[ysabetwordsmith]

Yay! Some of your prompts reminded me of it.

Re: *hugs*

[the_vulture]

Hee! *hugs back*

I rather like this version of Christ. :)

Re: *hugs*

[ysabetwordsmith]

Yeah, He showed up for the fishbowl and stuck around for a bunch of the poems. This is a different version than I have worked with before, but I like Him too. (Besides, I did say it's open to "anyone and everyone" ...)

[dichroic]

Oh, how beautiful (I'm not Christian either).

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm glad this poem worked for you.

[kiwiria]

Here via dichroic. Unlike her, I am a Christian, but like her, I also thought this was absolutely beautiful.

Yay!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm happy to hear that.

For whatever reason, "Christian mysticism" popped up as a surprise guest theme this month. I got a whole bunch of poems more or less connected along these lines.