CALLING ALL COOTS

Image credit GregTheBusker on Flickr

Crawl out of your hole, you cute little coot!

Weary, and covered with doubt head to foot.

You want me to go away, leave you alone,

but young coots are closely watching your zone.

And you are not a real coot anyway;

you are a shining creature of the day!

You may dig a tunnel and curl up tight,

feel lonely and cold but safer to stay

huddled away from bright people and things

that make you squint and feel you're to blame for

the pain the night waves washed up on the shore,

the shame that Someone else already bore!

You couldn't hold back the force of the sea,

so relinquish right to know; let it be.

Don't try to figure out everything now;

let the One with you handle it somehow.

Don't burrow deeper into seclusion,

goaded by guilt or hopeless conclusion.

Find pearl of peace faith's struggle left behind,

rest, renewal for emotions and mind.

Crawl out of damp dark into morning light--

Smile at the sunrise; no more mourning night!

Has something sad happened to someone you love that you were helpless to prevent?  Part of your grief may include guilt, blame, confusion--or just a weariness of it all, a desire to retreat from life itself.  You know that others, no matter how well meaning, simply cannot possibly truly understand all that you're feeling.  You may silence the desire to scream at God or even the impulse to slap someone!:)  Or that may not be the case at all; you may not question God and may be grateful for family and friends, but wonder in despair what went wrong, feel you must have been at fault somehow, replay the dismal event, question any influencing decisions or why you were inadequate to stop it.

I know there are things we do need to understand and learn from; but I won't attempt to theorize now about the whys.  Anyway, some things we will not understand until eternity.  I simply felt that I must write this for you and tell you that "you are accepted in the Beloved".  Let the love of Jesus cleanse you and heal you; HE does understand, and your life is not over.  He and others need you.  Someday, He will use you to comfort others with the very comfort He wants you to feel now.   He's reaching for you; reach out to Him.