To sit in chains

After Philippians 1:9-11

To sit in chains and see

the freedom, to smell

the prison pouring into me

and know the liberty confirmed,

to feel the dirt of the jail

on my skin and in my mouth,

and know the love showered

on me, to see the place

I occupy in the heart,

is to know these chains

represent the blessing given,

the heart filled,

the mind embraced,

the soul protected.

Photograph by Kaley Dykstra via Unsplash. Used with permission.

It is a good work

After Philippians 1:9-11

It is a good work

he began, a seed

he planted, a spirit

he placed in you,

your heart and mind

and soul, and he waters

it and he feeds it,

he shines the sun upon it,

he cares for it, his own

personal garden, designed

to grow and bloom, part

of the other gardens,

reconstructing another garden,

the first, created to bring

beauty, to amaze with wonder,

until the time it is completed,

a finished work.

To be confident in this

is to confer a blessing.

Photograph by Matt Benson via Unsplash. Used with permission.