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