The Wreath
The following was given to me by an inquirer for Christmas. It was written in the middle of a wreath she made out of grape vines. It hangs in my office as a constant reminder to be patient.
A friend of mine whose grapevine died, had put it out for trash.
I said to her, I’ll take that vine and make something of that.
At home the bag of dead, dry vines looked nothing but a mess.
As I gently bent one vine, entwining ‘round and ‘round,
A rustic wreath began to form, potential did abound.
One vine would not go where it should, and anxious as I was,
I forced it so to change its shape, it broke – and what the cause?
If I had taken precious time to slowly change its form,
It would have made a lovely wreath, not a dead vine, broken, torn.
As I finished bending, adding blooms, applying trim,
I realized how that rustic wreath is like my life within;
You see, so many in my life have tried to make me change.
They’ve forced my spirit anxiously, I tried to rearrange.
But when the pain was far too great, they forced my fragile form.
I plunged far deeper in despair, my spirit, broken, torn.
Then God allowed a gentle one that knew of dying vines,
To kindly and patiently allow the Lord to take His time.
And though the vine has not yet formed a decorative wreath,
I know that with God’s servant’s help one day when Christ I meet,
He’ll see a finished circle, a perfect gift to Him;
It will be a final product, a wreath with all the trim.
So as you look upon this gift, the vine, round, and complete;
Remember God is using you to gently shape His wreath.
Dr. Neil
For Spanish, see http://www.ficmm.org/blog