Gifts of Unknown Things

                Gifts of Unknown Things            3/7/2000

God only knew all that He placed in me--
The measure of grace He hid in me
And all my life, the manifesting of that grace
Has astonished those with whom I live;
The reality of who I am bumping constantly against the expectations
Of those who think they know

If I can only reconcile my desire to please with the gifting You have given!
For me, it is the attempt to please man that spells trouble.
For man, it is expecting me to fit a pattern of his own.

And of course, we marry strangers.
We come laden with gifts unknown
And as they are manifested 
Whatever goes against the expectation is often pushed aside.

We do this to each other; and to ourselves--
And until we realize that You put in us this measure of grace
We hock our heirlooms
We lock them in boxes for the next generation
Never enjoying them
Or developing into the Gift-Givers of our own time.

But I look to You, Friend.
I cannot regret time lost--it would defeat me.
I can only repent of the attempts to please man and the agony it produced.

I will color into You, Friend,
As I become the Gift-Giver of all You placed in me;
For it is You whom I will please--
And You will choose the heirs

And we, coloring into You,
Giving out heirlooms to the children of God
Are made into one at last

See, then nothing is lost.
                                        Mar  7 2000