One of the great joys of pastoral ministry is discovering the diverse gifts of God’s people. Here is a fine example. After sharing the story of how I nearly died from meningitis at age 19 (you’ll find the story in the first two minutes of the following audio), Mike Hilton described the experience, elucidating how divine grace rescued me from the dark clouds of death.
As I lie in a state of suspended grace,
Not knowing my status or my place.
I am overwhelmed by this tree and its solitary leaf,
Holding on long past fall and well into winters grief.
Clearly sympathetic to our common plight,
We join forces in some sort of symbiotic fight.
Survivals energies are drawn from places previously unknown.
No matter the strange nature of it, I was not alone.
Bound by many things beyond my control,
All I could do was draw strength from my view on the 4th floor.
Imagine the pain when awoken early one morning,
A storm had brought down my leaf and its hope of glory!
Now, who can I rely upon to break my chains!
What can be summoned to help ease my pains?
Desperation brings with it a move away from self reliance.
I call upon the God with whom I’ve been mostly defiant.
He, in his infinite mercy and grace floods my soul with love!
Seeing past my past, he holds my future from above.
God is healing my body and securing my heavenly eternity.
The leaf? He removed the last of my unrealistic securities!
Amen.
