The Test

The Test 11/16/2011

There is a flip side to everything
Even in loss, shame, and horror
An opportunity arises
To either grasp at greatness
Or sink into death.

As long as we live
We will never get past it
The endless testing
And the endless strife.

We can fail a thousand times
But then we understand
A miraculous renewal of the mind
Coming from the inside out.

It can take a long time
And nothing makes us immune
From falling down
And learning all over again.

I have lived it through
And once I felt invincible
With everything I ever wanted
And nothing beyond my reach.

But you can’t grasp at eternity
Without suffering and pain
And I flew too close to the sun
Burning myself along the way.

The shame is worse than the loss
And the loss snowballed with time
One thing leading to another
All alone without a handhold
Or love.

But to be rejected is a chance
And to be forgotten a test
An opportunity to hold your head high
And lay hold at greatness.

As long as we live
There will always be sacrifice
And the sacrifice
Shall always be
The first and the best.

Offered up unblemished
In a single shining moment
A perfect payment
For the selfish
And the guilty.

This is the moment
That had been waiting
Since before I knew
And before I was born.

Just waiting for the wisdom
To catch up with time
And for me to understand
The truth in the words.

To know the price
And pay it gladly
And to smile
Even when
I wanted to die.

Evil happens
And when it does
It is all based on a lie
And a price must be paid
One way or another.

The debt is heavy
And the pain is great
Greater than the weak can bear
The shame and the loss.

I am not worthy
Of the sacrifice I have given
But God makes men great
And by his grace
I am strong.

People are quick to judge
And they are quick to run
Because it is easier to blame
Than it is to understand.

Some follow their emotions
And are led by the nose
Following the feed
Without question
And without thought.

But a man should know the difference
And contemplate the truth
Apart from their own comfort
And separate from their greed.

Our pride drives us
And we fall into anger
Missing the greatest of treasures
Just to get our way.

The tails wags the dog
And cuts off the head
Stumbling along
Until we bleed to death.

It shouldn’t be a surprise
Because this is what you get
When we value comfort above honor
And God with ourselves.