We poured ourselves out
cupful, bucketful
streaming, gushing
pumping it out
every last ounce
sermon after sermon
lesson after lesson
song after song
gestures of care
initiating fellowship
running to others
going all the way
until we slowed
to a crawl
then our arms and our legs gave out
You are standing over us
reviving
sermon by sermon
lesson by lesson
song by song
It’s not me sharing a song before a crowd
It’s me in a crowd
shopping in a store
I am stopped by the chorus echoing in the background music
It matches the ache throbbing in the background of my heart
I’m driving down the road in tears
at the same time as the words on the radio
are the ones I didn’t know I needed to hear
You are giving me a private concert
I’m still too empty
to carry my friendship
to the people who won’t
or maybe they just truly can’t
meet us at the middle of the bridge
or even step onto it
I’m at my window seat
You are busily rushing to my mind
long forgotten memories of seasons past
decades past
gestures of care shown to me
Your mercy and goodness will follow me all the days of my life
You initiate fellowship
the sweetest, the nearest, the dearest
pouring onto and into me
washing all of me
one day
again
Our cups will runneth over
Jaime Roop is a freshly turned 40-year-old navigating a mid-life journey towards coming out of her shell. She is a hearing 4’11’’ Highly Sensitive Person happily mismatched to her deaf 6’2” computer genius husband. They are raising three blonde blue eyed school age girls in small town Alabama. She earned her MA in counseling and still loves to delve into all matters of heart and heartache, however currently she loves doing her dream job as an American Sign Language interpreter.
Hi Jaime – Beautiful. Seasons of life find us handling things differently than other seasons of our lives. I related to the line, “I’m still too empty
to carry my friendship
to the people who won’t
or maybe they just truly can’t
meet us at the middle of the bridge
or even step onto it”
Thank you for writing.
Jaime, I love the crescendo of God’s mercy and goodness following you and the hope of an overflowing cup after the pouring out. Thank you for sharing yourself here. It is an encouragement.
I deeply value your transparent admission of a painful disappointment in others, followed by the needed reminder that God is more than sufficient to meet our every need. I think every heart needs to hear this stated so clearly, but especially the hearts of those of us who find ourselves in places of lonely aching and wondering if we’ll ever be able to trust Him completely to fill our cups on this side of Eternity. Grateful for your heart and gift of words.