Life Is Fragile – A Poem of Hope
This mortal life is fragile
housed in these jars of clay
Here we are living the good life
then at the end of the day
we may be struck down, bewildered
by the impermanence of our stay
Yet we know we are not abandoned
by the Truth, the Life, and the Way
The life He promised is eternal
as for grace and mercy we pray
This mortal life is fragile
yet He lives in these jars of clay
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 (NIV).
A dear friend is in the hospital in critical condition due to complications from a routine surgery. He was supposed to be in and out in a day, but he is likely to be in the hospital for 2 to 3 weeks. It got me thinking about the fragility of life, and this passage from Corinthians came to mind. As I read it, I was reminded of my friend’s strong faith in Jesus and the comfort that comes from knowing he is in the hands of the Great Physician.
9/24/13 Update: My friend is now home after 10 weeks in the hospital and rehab. He still has a long way to go, but has made great progress. I’ve decided to share this poem for dVerse Poets Pub Open Link Night today in celebration of the power of prayer in my friend’s recovery.
Share this:
prayer works…
Every tomorrow comes Hope’s reaffirmation.
Your faith is testament to Hope’s fulfillment.
Cheers!
faith is certainly an important ingredient in healing and it is our faith that carries us through those moment when we face our fragile mortality.
Amen! And prayers for your friend.
Thanks! He can use all the prayers he can get. God is healing him in an amazing way, but he still has quite a ways to go. Peace, Linda
I am not remotely religious, but I did enjoy this writing, especially the lines “we may be struck down, bewildered/ by the impermanence of our stay.” I am very glad your friend is getting better! 🙂
Katie, Thanks for stopping by. Peace, Linda
This was even better as I read the background story… It must be such a blessing to have friends like you..
Bjorn, What a nice thing to say! 🙂 I actually consider those who read my blog to be friends, too. It’s a small world and life is too short to only consider those we see face to face as friends. Peace, Linda
yes, life is the BEST gift… seeing all my loved ones growing older really makes me realize how short our time is… now, the only thing I really want in life is to have LIVED and I did everything I wanted when I (hopefully) grow older and near my time of passing.
and yet he chooses as well to live in these jars of clay….it seems only when tragedy strikes that we remember this you know….just how fragile life really is….
beautiful… may your friend receive the help needed to heal, however healing arises.
Life IS fragile indeed. Though this is the case, we need to remember our Source of Strength.
it is fragile…and i’m amazed again and again that he put something so precious in such fragile jars…he’s awesome, isn’t he.. ? smiles
Terrific poem, Linda, and I’m joining you in praying for your friend to be healed . Reading your poems today made me realize how much I’ve missed your posts! 🙂
God bless you and have a good 4th!
Deb, Thank you for your prayers. And for the encouragement I can always count on from you. Peace, Linda
I hope Marie reads this!
Lynne, I sent this to Scott to go in the weekly email, so hopefully she will see it there. Peace, Linda