Yesterday I had coffee (well, actually I had tea) with my dear friend Ginger at Kyra’s Bake Shop in Lake Oswego. (As a side note, Kyra’s is a 100% gluten-free bakery and the treats are delicious. I know that’s hard to believe, but it’s true.)
I gave Ginger a signed copy of my book, which she encouraged me to publish. We had a great visit and I was telling her about the culmination of my year of no fear in 2014, which began when she and I went to a writers’ conference in the spring. She said to me, “I think there’s a poem in that.” This is not the first time that very phrase from Ginger’s lips has resulted in a poem. So I’m dedicating this one to Ginger. It’s my first post of 2015 (so, no, Post-a-Day isn’t happening) as a perfect recap of what God did in 2014.
Stripped Away
One by one
You stripped away
Each old fear
That stood in my way
To becoming what
You planned for me
A child of God
Hopeful and free
“No fear” I wrote
I thought it true
So many fears
Had been quelled by You
“No fear” I wrote
Yet one remained
A truth to tell
Laden with pain
Still You were faithful
In my year of no fear
To take that last one
And make it clear
That the truth once told
Would set me free
And the bond I cherish
Will forever be
Now there is nothing
For me to fear
Not even fear itself
Can snicker or sneer
To set me adrift
From the course You’ve laid
Sharing my freedom
In never being afraid
1/13/15 update: The dVerse Poetics Prompt today is to write about a secret. Since this poem involves a secret truth that needed to be told, I decided to share it there.