Tears for your pain

 

Watching a series on Netflix

It’s real people

Following a script

Yet, I sob for their pain

I laugh for their joys

I’m drawn into their story

For 40 minutes

Or an hour

It feels real

I turn to Instagram

This time, it is real

It’s not just a reel

It’s real, living people

With real, heartbreaking pain

So much of it, all the time

Why does it seem more acceptable

to cry for the scripted pain,

but not for the real pain?

If feels like a stab to my heart

My chest hurts

I feel it deep inside

Why must they suffer so much?

Why can’t we stop their pain?

Why do some people make their pain worse?

Decisions made

Harmful and hurtful

Cruel and damaging

Made on purpose

To make their pain worse

Unbearable
Overwhelming grief

Food denied

Baby food denied

Fresh water denied

Fishing denied

Shelter denied

Medical help denied

Education denied

Resistance to this hell denied

Dissent denied

Peace denied
Time to heal denied

Trapped

Nowhere to go

Bombs allowed

Snipers allowed

Drones allowed

Tanks allowed

Starvation allowed

Loss of limbs allowed

Trauma allowed

Death allowed

Sickness allowed

Lies allowed

Floods

Freezing weather

Strong winds

Tents blown away

Sopping wet blankets

Families separated

Children alone

Sickness abounds

Here I am

In a house

With food

A warm bed

Family

A doctor to go to

I am not living in their pain

But I feel their pain

like it’s in my body

God, we are desperate for miracles

For change

For soft hearts

For people to remember

You came for everyone

Your kingdom is about a love 
that is expansive and inclusive
Our neighbour is everyone

Your love knows no bounds
We need to love the same
With your love

Please lift the veils of deceit

Let us see clearly

We need spokes in the wheels,
in the wheels of injustice.
We need them jammed
For them to stop turning
For chains to be broken
For freedom
For life and light to return
For families to reunite
For medical help to enter
For food in abundance
For laughter
For truth, the real truth
For hope

When the time was right

Was it the right time?
For Jesus to arrive?

Prophecies agreed it was

This was the set time

The time had fully come.

And God sent Jesus

Captivity and exile were over

It was time to rebuild and settle

There had been silence

It was time for something new

It was time for the Messiah
Although not everyone heard
Or understood
Or recognised him
Or accepted him
This was the Messiah 
The one they had waited for

Still, expectation hung in the air

Freedom was on the horizon

Darkness was covering the land

Eagerly awaiting answers

For light to dispel darkness

The place was ready for good news

With one tongue to spread it far

A message of love desperately needed

An empty desperation hung thick in the air

Waiting for light and truth

God is always intentional

He's always deliberate

His planning perfectly executed

History was on the move

The seed was on the way

Growth was taking place

There was growing expectation

All prophecies are fulfilled in Jesus

Every detail in place

The time was now

For the King of heaven to come down

The lamb of God

Everything coming together

The set time had fully come

Jesus came
As a tiny baby
A baby?
Was this really the Saviour?
To save the world?
Yes, this was God's way
God's perfect answer
Wrapped in cloths

The light and hope lit up the sky
Shepherds were the first to see

He lit up the darkness

Good news for all

The chance for peace

For Shalom

Hope was born in the manger
Love had come down
Love was living with us
Humility on display
Always approachable

He's in the details of our lives too

Every detail

He’s intentional with us

Be encouraged

Find your comfort and rest in him

Seasons come and go

There’s preparation

And then there’s fulfillment

Don’t miss out

Keep your eyes open

Wait on him

Waiting can be hard

It can be uncomfortable
His presence is close

 Joy is always on the way

Pregnant with hope

Life and light

Be faithful in your waiting

Keep on hoping

Don’t give up

He's coming back
He keeps our hope alive

The trumpet will sound

Loud and clear
Everyone will hear
Everyone will see
Everyone will know
Our reigning King

But first,
There are things to do

To bring heaven to earth

The time is always now

Carry the struggle and pain now

Look after those who need love and care now

Triumph is on the way

Jesus our King will return

What a day of rejoicing that will be

Let’s keep busy with the things of his kingdom.

Artwork by Evelien Burger
Poetry based on the Christmas morning message at Lighthouse Family Church

  

The sign in her hand

I watched as they pulled the sign from her hand like it was something dirty. They seemed to look at her with the same level of disgust. They took a photo of the sign she was holding, probably for evidence they would use in court against her. I possibly could understand a bit more if the words were about inciting violence or speaking derogatory words about someone, but the words spoke about protecting vulnerable lives, about stopping awful actions towards a whole people group. My mind could not comprehend in those moments why protecting people and standing up for life and hope could be seen as a criminal act and why she was then picked up from the floor and arrested for those actions.

It's even more concerning that so many people around the world applaud that ‘law and order’ moment. I find it beyond my human comprehension. It just does not make sense at all. Why oh why are her actions seen as so dangerous?

I cast my mind back to a man who was treated in a similar fashion. He was also arrested. He was killed for these kinds of actions. He stood for life and for people being treated well. He challenged the very oppressive systems that she is challenging. He defied social norms like her, in defense of the poor, the prisoners, the blind and the oppressed. He even broke strict religious rules in looking out for vulnerable people. Like her, he risked his life on a daily basis for the words he used and the actions he took.

He was willing to be scandalized. If it was in our present time, he would have been willing to have his picture plastered across social spaces. He was spat at and gossiped about. He did not agree with the actions of the Government in charge, their actions of violence and lack of respect for human life.

He spoke against any system that stripped people of their dignity.

That’s what her poster was all about. I can’t make sense of a world that looks at her actions with such disdain.

He was arrested and had multiple accusations thrown at him for speaking against the oppressive systems of the time. He was put to death, even though they could find no fault against him. The powerful structures in power at that time and the people following them were totally okay with his death and relieved that the threat was gone.

But he had come from a different kingdom. One that will always clash with powerful earthly empire structures. A kingdom that cares about those people mentioned on that sign. A kingdom like no other and one that will never end.

He defeated the death they tried to silence him with. He rose again. He changed everything. He asks us to care for the people she is calling us to care for.

Yes, this might be a bit of a mind bender for some people reading this, that I am comparing these 2 people side by side, but that’s the whole point too. He was fully God and fully man. Yes, she’s only human, but with a heart that cares deeply for people and planet.

If we are filled with the spirit of God, we of all people should be caring for all people and for the planet. He commissioned us to do just that. Let us not waver or be led astray by voices that say the opposite.

Matthew 25:34 – 40 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

It’s Christmas time. A time to remember again, afresh and anew that Jesus chose to come close and live on earth with us. He is the hope that came into a very dark world, a dangerous and occupied world. Things have absolutely got worse since then, but the heart of humans is still the same, still needing redemption and forgiveness. That light, that hope, that love arrives every day, always. Thank God for that. It changes everything, always. Thank you, God, for your incomparable love for us and your identification with the most vulnerable in the world. Help us to love like you.

Thank you too, Greta, for your caring heart and the huge risks you take for people and our planet. You are an inspiration to many.

Top artwork by Evelien Burger

Bottom picture taken at a local school in Gqeberha

 

A man in pain

You ran into a place of worship
Seeking sanctuary
and safety.
You cried out
Help! Help me God.
You sensed his presence
You knew he was someone to call out to
Your mind disturbed,
had clarity in that moment.
Thoughts racing
Body reacting

Someone stopped, touched you
Looked into your eyes
Prayed for you
Your body stilled in peace,
but then jerked back into action
You were on the run
A body filled with drugs
Creating great confusion

Coming from a place of pain
You had sought after release
Your heart broken by another
Set off a string of events
Dangerous and destructive
Things broken out of your brokenness

Strong men arrived
Guns on their hips
More police too
With their truck ready
You resisted
Dignity lost in the process
It took 5 men to arrest you

Those around you were in shock
many were scared.
Some were sad
People don’t like seeing people get hurt
Your story was unknown
But consequences follow violent actions
It was necessary
for the police to be involved

Hearts were touched
Spirits grieved
There was great concern for you
That you would feel the love of God
That you had felt seen in that place
That your story would end well
Prayers will rise for you
That you will respond to the love of God
he promises the freedom you seek
The renewal and restoration
He offers a redeeming love.
There’s always time to start over.

Our world is so filled with pain
mental health, addiction
relationship problems
violence and abuse
poverty
abandonment
exploitation of others.

We are called to love and care
To reach out and touch
To see and touch people
To be present in the pain
To make sure they are ok
Small acts of kindness
Compassion and empathy
To cry and mourn in the mess
To hold onto hope for more
It's the way of God's kingdom.
Let's carry on loving.

 

Poetry – author’s own
Artwork by Evelien Burger