Good morning…
We self-published our first book in 2004, my artist friend and me. Our book, Scribbling a Masterpiece: Doodle to Your Destiny, took a poem I had written when I was in my twenties and married it with her colorfully creative drawings, drawings which captured the essence of God’s truth. On the back of our book, we shared one of my first poems, “Should”s Silence. The poem begs this question: “Do I have the courage to turn down the world’s volume so I might sing with passion my part in God’s choir?”
******
“Should”s Silence by Sue Allen
“Should”s from society.
“Should”s from my boss.
“Should”s from my family.
“Should”s from my friends.
“Should”s from the church.
“Should”s from old ways.
“Should”s take form inside me.
They fester.
They infect.
They poison my ability to discern who I am,
how to live,
and what God wants from me.
“Should”s are loud.
“Should”s are unspoken.
“Should”s are inferred.
“Should”s are powerful.
“Should”s are made up.
“Should”s are passed down.
Allthe”Should”s
melttogetherafterawhile
and,withoutmenoticing,
theycontrolmylifeandkeepmefrom:
sensing the Spirit.
discovering my true identity,
and embracing God’s purpose for me
(for nobody else but me).
If I let “Should”s silence me,
I have lost.
You have lost.
A voice in God’s choir gets lost.
******
Do not put out the Spirit’s fire (1 Thessalonians 5:19).
…Sue…
