His Pen: From His Heart To Yours

It was in the latter years of survival school (colloquially known as “high school”), an institute filled with hormone-fuelled… let’s call them persons… who boasted about the tally of detentions they had gotten over the weeks. Some of the numbers out numbered the amount of weeks in the year- twice over. Such was the code of honour. I, on the other hand, tried to avoid trouble at all costs.  This made me tense,  really tense.  My senses were always on full alert, knowing that trouble could be lurking around any corner.  Unfortunately, my body language must have shown it, as it always attracted unwanted attention.

One day, a classmate wrote a poem, reflecting on life as he saw it. Everyone took great interest in it- even the teachers. I, on the other hand, didn’t get it at all. I found it quite cheesy and thought to myself: “I can do better than that.” So that’s when I started writing poetry- to go one better than that silly sounding poem. However, I soon understood it to be an ideal gateway to express the tensions and put all my thoughts philosophically onto paper, as there were so many things just swirling in my brain.

Poems in my “BC” days I kept very private, trying to understand life and the events of it.
Although my relationship with the Lord at this time was just about non-existant, shallow at best, half of these poems still had a spiritual/allegorical vine to them.
An example:

Book of Truth

The Bible…
The book of truth.
Like poetry,
It has hidden meanings,
And the ability to express
The same things in many ways.
Instead of meanings,
It’s has hidden truths
Expressed in many different methods.
These truths are hidden
From blind eyes,
And deaf ears,
But those who seek the truth wholeheartedly,
Shall succeed and be rewarded.

During this time, the Lord gave me a revelation of what poetry is:

Poetry, is a form of art; where an artist paints from his mind onto a canvas, a poet paints with his words onto the canvas of one’s heart.

The following couple of years out of high school were significant years for me: it was when my walk with the Lord really began. I had found value, hope and purpose. For the first time, I felt convincingly loved.

Just a few months after my walk with the Lord started, I was baptised in the Holy Spirit. It was soon after my baptism, that I wrote my first poem as a truly born again believer:
It came about that I really desired to give the Lord a gift one day, but what do you give a Creator that already has everything? The thought came across my mind was to write Him a poem- to give Him a piece of my heart. An offering of my love to Him.

I didn’t know how else to give it to Him. It was a poem about my favorite verses at the time: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. It was called “Charity”

Charity

My God is patient:
For without it
Many would not see salvation.

My God is kind:
For without it
There would be no hope and freedom.

My God is not jealous
Because He is fair,
He is the one and only.

My God is not vain:
He cares not for Himself,
But for the deliverance of his children.

My God is not proud:
For there would be ignorance
And stubbornness within His heart.

My God is not ill-mannered,
Because He sets the example
He wants us to follow.

My God is not selfish:
For there is neither greed
Nor self-centeredness within Him.

My God is not irritable:
For prayers would go unanswered
And blessings just a memory.

My God forgives and forgets.
He does this only
Through the blood of Christ Jesus.

My God hates what is evil
And enjoys what is true
Because He does not change.

My God never gives up:
He is faithful and hopeful,
His patience never fails.

My God is eternal
He is not bound by time,
But fascinated.

My God is…
LOVE

Richard Lionheart                                            Romans 11:36                                                            (11 Feb ’07)

Little did I know, that what had begun was a beautiful partnership. In the following years, as I submitted to Him, I became a pen in His hand- revealing the intricacies of His heart. This is my journey…