The Fairest Flower

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, and a light on my path.” (Psalm 119:105 NIV)

“The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” (Psalm 119:130 NIV)

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it will eat the fruit thereof.” (Proverbs 18:21 KJV)
 
God created the earth and the heavens with His word.  An author crafts words into destinations we can go to in our minds.  A journalist uses words to give us the facts of world events.  We use words spoken and unspoken to relay our hearts, our emotions, our very selves with others.  “…For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34) Our words flow with the tides of our heart. 

At times my heart has been a tumultuous sea and my words followed suit, bringing waves of hurt,  pain, and the endless sand of distrust and distance.   At times my heart has been a quiet bay, a place of refuge for the weary, encouragement to the dry and thirsty soul.  We all have known the damage of words, and we have all known the healing of words.  Our words are powerful.  

I think the sweetest words I have ever heard are the words that brought me home; "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation." (Isaiah 12:2)  "Fear not; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness."  "The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy." (Psalm 145:8)  And Colossians 1:13-22; "Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son; in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins: who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.  And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell; and having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.  And you, that were sometimes alienated in your mind by wicked works, yet now has He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight:..."

His is the sweetest voice I have ever heard, and the only one that truly matters.  So if you are listening to other voices: the voice of doubt, the voice of fear, the voice of insecurity, the voice of depression, the voice of accusation, the voice of self-loathing, the voice of guilt and shame, the voice of confusion, the voice of destruction, the voice of unforgiveness...I encourage you to silence them with the truth of what God says about you, your situation, your circumstances, your life and anything and everything that has to do with you.  Let Him have the final say.  


                                                                  The Fairest Flower

I looked across a barren field
As far as my eyes could see
Nothing living only death
Depiction of the depths of me
 
“Get up, walk the barren way,”
A voice spoke from behind
As I stepped upon the ground
Words like water filled my mind
 
“No good, less than, not enough,
Abandoned, rejected, alone
Despicable, worthless, unwanted.”
Seeds that had been sown
 
Each one had been planted
Each one had taken root
I claimed this barren field
Where nothing yielded fruit
 
Each step was torturous
Each step I yearned for reprieve
Words and thoughts like weapons
Struck against my deepest need
 
Halfway through the field
Something began to shift
Everywhere my feet had stepped
Vanished: Ceased to exist
 
In its place the fairest flower
White, fragile, and soft
“These, child, are the petals,
Of all that has been lost.”
 
“Take them in your hand now,
Then take another step ahead,
And you will see that I bring
Life where there was only death.”
 
I picked the precious petals
Turning, made another stride
There at my feet blooming
The hope I thought had died
 
Other words began to form
As I looked upon the ground
“Beloved, accepted, dearly loved,
Once lost but now found.”
 
“I have made you,
Knew you before you were born,
The words that others planted,
Those seeds will grow no more.”
 
“Hear the words that I say,
Hear and you will live,
No weapon formed will prosper,
As you have received, freely give…”



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Written by Anne Marie Hawke
September 2020

To find out more about my writing or to subscribe to my blog, please visit my website at hawkewriter.com