A Beautiful Love Poem: Achieving Better Presentation

Some times I think of God’s love as a beautiful love poem wooing us. At the same time I reflect upon some of the great love poems written over the ages by “mere” humans and how they capture, in a small way, something of the great divine longing for us. Or, so I choose to believe.

In stark contrast, I really don’t know what to think of people who try to convince others of God’s love with far less poetic expressions.  Billboard signs stating that people are going to hell. People holding up Bible references at baseball games behind home plate.  People handing out tracks consisting of 3 step methods to salvation. These approaches  “assault” me more than woo me.  

Coming home from a fishing trip last month I noticed a truck in front of me with big black letters painted on the back stating our lost condition without Jesus and what people needed to do to be saved. It was not poetic or artistic. It did not woo me.

Would we court someone in this manner? Hopefully, not.  Hopefully, we would patiently, tenderly, poetically and artistically court this person as God courts us. Hopefully we would express the longing and ache for another person in a way that could be similar to how God longs for us.

Would we try to entice a wary trout with a sloppy, loud, rude presentation? Hopefully, we would use great sensitivity and tactfulness.

There have been some great poets (who may or may not be Christian) who, for me, have captured the longing for love.  I am surprised that as Christians we often cannot creatively express as tender and deep a message to others.  Below is a poem by e.e. Cummings describing a love that I choose to interpret as both God’s love for me and my love for God.

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done

by only me is your doing, my darling)

                                                      i fear

no fate(for you are my fate, my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world, my true)

and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows

higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart.