Writer's Wednesday - Joyce Rupp

Faithful Love

There are days when I reflect

upon the moments of my history

and I taste satisfied fragrance,

like a well-aged bottle of wine.

It is easy to ponder

the beauty of Isaiah's God:

holding me in tender arms,

etching my name on divine palms.

There are other long-spent days

when I chew upon my memories

only to taste the dry crumbs

of stale and molded bread.

How difficult to perceive

the steadfast love of God;

How empty then is my longing

for a sense of divine embrace.

There are yet other days

when I sit at a great distance,

looking at the life that is mine;

threading the loom of my past

with a deep belief in faithfulness.

It is then that I see how fidelity

has little to do with fine feelings,

and everything to do with deep trust,

believing the One who holds me in joy

will never let go when sorrow steps in.

-----Joyce Rupp, May I Have This Dance?. (1992.)