FIREPLACE POETRY

Hello, Alex! How have you been?

It seems like forever – It’s good to see you my friend.

Where did you go? Why did you hide?

Some of us were worried – others thought you died.

You abandoned everything –

You were ashamed, so ran away.

But it’s time to come home! There is no need to be a stray.

Hi there, Alex! How have you been?

It seems like forever….. Welcome home, my friend.

Everything is alright now. You’re going to be okay!

Life is so much better – than the reality you portray.

Story behind the Poem:

I had my first baby at 19 and the amount of shame and guilt I felt was unbearable. Instead of feeling love and support from my lifelong church, I felt judgment and condemnation. Instead of feeling proud to be a mom, I remember feeling embarrassed and out of place.

For me this poem was my homecoming moment. In life you may feel inadequate, unqualified, or even sometimes damaged – but I want you to know that God does his best work with damaged people. It doesn’t matter where you come from, what you did or even what you are doing now – God can still use you and believe it or not – he desires a relationship with you! This poem was written to remind me that I don’t have to hide from God when I mess up – but rather, I can run to him.

Fast forward a decade, my daughter is now 10 years old and she is literally my best friend. When I first got pregnant, I am sure the devil was laughing thinking he was going to take me out….. BUT, BOY WAS HE WRONG! Why? Because what the devil means for harm, God will turn it to good and that’s exactly what he did in my life. I want to encourage you to quit running or even hiding from God. There is literally no point because he will ALWAYS leave the 99 to find the 1. (Is that 1… you?)

Matthew 18:12-14