In the Wildness of My Soul

Sin, like the tall trees in the forest, has kept me from feeling God’s light. I am getting cold in the shadows, and God is calling me to make the clearing that I’ve needed for so long.
-------Amy Bridges' Lenten meditation

The following poem was written by New Hampshire poet Ed Pacht after reading Amy Bridges' Lenten meditation.


In the Wildness of My Soul

In me,
in the wildness of my soul,
the seeds of sin were planted.
In me,
in the wildness of my soul,
the seeds took root and grew.
In me,
in the wildness of my soul,
the trees grew up and spread their branches.
In me,
in the wildness of my soul,
the growing sin has blocked the sunlight,
and the shadows take the place of warmth,
and I am growing cold.
The gloom of darkness chills my soul.
In me,
the Gardner’s voice is calling,
in me,
a summons to a change of life,
to a clearing of a tiny place of welcome
in me,
where He will open up the forest
in me,
where warmth and light and mercy enter,
in me.

Stepping Out From the Shadows

Amy Bridges (Grade 11)

A Lenten Meditation

I need to make a clearing in my Dasein in order to develop my personal relationship with God.

This school year has been rough and I need some new growth to get me out of the rut I’m in. I’m in the process of clearing an area for God to be at the center. Living waters. The tree of Life in the midst of the garden.

With prayer and reading scripture, I am healing wounds, and allowing God to come closer by clearing the clutter and sin from my life and my heart. 

Sin, like the tall trees in the forest, has kept me from feeling God’s light. I am getting cold in the shadows, and God is calling me to make the clearing that I’ve needed for so long.

Related reading: Looking Past the Haze by Nelson Lane; Making a Place For Love by Rich Childress; Beyond One's Self by Zach Esenbock; Pride Halts Progress by Andrew Calvert; Ed Pacht on Poetry as a Calling Beyond the Mundane