Advent 3: Joy
By Debbonnaire Kovacs, Dec 9, 2015
There is a wall,
a stone wall,
high and strong and thick,
built over many years
out of the heavy stone
of many difficult and traumatic circumstances.
On the wall is a tower,
a round little tower springing high
as if it, instead,
is made of light.
And indeed, there is light within,
shining out from the narrow windows.
In the tower is a guard,
a tall, beautiful guard
with patience in the set of his shoulders,
determination in the lines of his jaw,
endless, farseeing, roving watchfulness in his eyes
and boundless, quiet, fierce love in his hands.
Folded within the solid, steady stone of the walls
is a soul,
a small soul,
a timid soul,
a soul with pain in her bearing,
weariness in her shoulders,
a soul with weak knees and fragile hands.
But the eyes of the little soul,
from her shelter inside the wall,
reflect the glow of the love of the guard
who watches in the tower
which springs up from the wall
which stands high and strong and thick,
built by loving hands
from the trials
that caused
the pain
and the weariness,
the weak knees
and the fragile hands.
She frets about nothing, for she knows she is safe.
Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice! … Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything… And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:4, 6, 7, Amplified Bible, Expanded Edition, 1987