The Poet and Poem (Etheree)

Life
A prayer
Poetry
In the making
Physical being
Emotion and feeling
Intellectual reason
Tears, laugh, joy, pain, love, hate, loss, gain
Combine, intertwine in space and time
Carefully shaped by hands of the divine

Have you ever thought of life, and all it entails, as being a poem? Have you ever thought about what the true meaning of ‘poem’ is? I have.

Yesterday, I read a post from a fellow blogger and amazing poet. The last stanza in His poem entitled, “Cloud 9” goes like this: “life and poetry are all the same”. It was that line that inspired this poem.

The origin of the word, “poetry” in English is taken by the Greek, “poetica”, which is derived from the verb, “poiein”, that means, “to make” (source).  Another Greek word, from where we get poem and poetry from, is “poiema” and means, “workmanship” or “something made” (source). As a Christian, I believe that I have been divinely made by a great poet and that all that my life entails is what is becoming a passionate and spirited poem.

I came across an amazing song and video on YouTube by the composer “Michael Card”. His song, “Poem of your life” says it all. If you have the time, please check it out – Poem of your life (you may have to turn the subtitles off in the bottom left hand corner of the screen).

How about you? Have you ever thought of your life as a poem? Have you ever thought of yourself as “someone made” by a great poet?

Ping back: The Divine (clogynarch) 

A Human Being (Haiku)

The Divine (clogyrnach)

Sublime intelligent design
Emotion and reason entwine
Creativity
Precise artistry
To a tee
The divine

Do you believe in intelligent design? And if the universe, and all within it were intelligently designed, do you think that requires only reason and logic? If so, why would we, humans, have such strong emotions?

I was doing some research on intelligent design and found a few quotes that really caught my attention:

• “DNA is like a computer program but far, far more advanced than any software ever created. – Bill Gates”
• “The believer in the God of creation is the rationalist.”
• “This most beautiful system of the sun, planets and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being.” -Issac Newton
• “We are intelligent beings: intelligent beings cannot have been formed by a crude, blind, insensible being: there is certainly some difference between the ideas of Newton and the dung of a mule. Newton’s intelligence, therefore, came from another intelligence” – Voltaire

I have always been an emotional person. Often times I’ve acted impulsively off of my feelings. This hasn’t always worked out well. I’m so glad I married the man I did, because he is a strong thinker. So then, he being the thinker, and I being the feeler, I guess you can say we compliment each other. I have learned so much during these past 10 years of marriage. Trying to not let my emotions guide me, stopping and looking at things rationally, recognizing that feelings can often blind a person and cause one to regret impulsive actions. These are some the lessons I’ve learned.

Being a Christian, I believe in intelligent design. In considering the fact that everything in the universe is bound by laws which have no choice but to obey, and the complexity and logic that is involved in order that the universe runs orderly and smoothly – I find it hard to believe that an unintelligent being could have done it all, or that it merely happened by chance.

I’ve often thought that humans are such extremists. We have a difficult time finding balance. I find that some Christians are very strong feelers and live their lives by emotional/spiritual experiences. Then there are others that tend to shun the emotional, because they know that feelings can be deceptive and often blind people. They may know all there is about the Bible and be able to debate logically and intellectually about philosophy, theology and what have you, but are scared of having an emotional experience.

What I am learning now though, is that there is a balance.  If God made me with intellect and emotions, then there’s a reason for it.  I have had some phenomenal emotional and supernatural experiences with God, but have left the reason and logic off to the side. Now I find myself reading and researching out more of a rational basis for my faith. Because ultimately experiences and emotions can be found and generated in any belief system, but I want to know what is true and what is real. I used to read the Bible and pray to find peace and have an ‘experience’ with God. I don’t want that to go, but I want the balance now. The balance between reason and emotion.

How about you? Do you believe in intelligent design? Do you find yourself more of a strong feeler or thinker? Do you long to find balance between the two?

 

 

 

 

When, in time, are you living?

I absolutely love the movie, “Peaceful Warrior”.  It has inspired me to do a blog series called, “Who, What, Where, When and Why?” This post is the fourth of this five part series.

We live in a world of time and space.  Life is constantly in motion and never stops.  So how do you deal with this reality?  When, in time, are you living your life?

Are you living for the future?

I confess, I used to live for the future.  I was always looking forward to the next thing or event that was going to happen in my life.  And when I was doing that, my heart, thoughts and desires were there.  There in the future.  In a place that still wasn’t real. I wasn’t just looking forward though, but also worrying about what “could” happen.  Or to potential problems that “could” arise.

Worrying about the future “coulds” however, are not things that are on today’s ‘to do’ list. Because right here – right now – at this very moment – is where God is waiting for me. It’s where He’s waiting for you. Waiting for us to come and be refreshed and renewed so that we can face whatever is ahead of us ‘today’.  Tomorrow will worry about itself. We have no idea if we will even be alive. Or what circumstances may be waiting for us. Humans are so unique and different from every other created being, because only humans are able to anticipate what is to come. If we are in a living and active relationship with God though, He reveals our future to us moment by moment.

Are you living in the past?

Life is constantly moving.  What happened a minute ago has already passed.  You can’t get that point in time back.  It’s impossible.  Maybe someone hurt you, or maybe you had a tough upbringing. Maybe you’re stuck thinking about how you’ve been wronged, or having a difficult time letting go of hurt and pain. Unfortunately though, we live in a fallen world. Pain and suffering are prevalent everywhere. We have to make countless decisions everyday, including what we choose to think on or about.  The Bible says to think on that which is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).  I’m not saying that it’s easy to change a mindset, or way of thinking. It wasn’t for me. But, we can choose to want to change.

On the other hand, maybe your circumstances right now are not as desirable as you would like.  To ponder on what ‘was’ is a waste of time, energy and emotion. The good old days.  Ok, maybe the past was a ‘better’ time in your life.  Maybe right now you are going through a tough time.    Yes, it is nice to think upon happy memories.  But if you are only wishing to go back to how it was, then you are missing out on all of the beautiful experiences that you could be having right now. Don’t lose out on your life right now by continuing to live in what has already come and gone.

Are you living in the now?

Everything has a purpose.  Every experience you have has meaning.  There are no ordinary moments.  We can learn from every single one of them.  We can appreciate every single one of them.  We can take our experiences and look at them either positively or negatively.  It is a choice.  It is your choice.

And don’t fall into the trap of thinking, “when I get what I want I’ll be happy”.  I used to think that way a long time ago.  When I get enough money, or when I acquire certain material possessions.  I learned that once I did acquire something I really wanted, it soon lost its appeal

I need to trust in God. He is all knowing. he in all powerful. and he is in control of each and every situation.  Come back to today and leave the past in the yesterday.  Focus only on what is in your reach.  And let God lead you into the future.

Are you living your life right now?

I’d love to hear what you have to say.  Please leave a comment and let me know ok.