Friday, July 04, 2008

A Prayer on Independence Day

My God
I have feared joy.
I have held back from
the fullness of life,
bound by invisible threads
of old loyalties.
I have imagined that you
begrudged me my joy and fulfillment,
that you would intentionally
disrupt my happiness,
stifle my freedom,
rein in my delight.
Now I see that you
have always been calling me forth
like Lazarus from the tomb:
"Untie him and let him go!"
You desire the fullness of
life for me,
abundant, overflowing.
Unbind me, free me for joy,
that I may be fully alive.
You have held nothing back from me.
Help me to hold nothing
back in this life,
to live it to the fullest,
to drink deeply of joy-
your joy which you desire
to share with me forever.
-Phillip Bennett

Quoted in The Enduring Heart by Wilkie Au, page 22.

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Here's to freedom!
To unbridled joy!
To unguarded love!

May God bless all people everywhere!

2 comments:

Amy said...

Happy Fourth to you, Gail! That poem is lovely. It could have been written by me but not nearly as eloquently.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing these beautiful words Gail.
Wishing you joy filled days! Nancy