Crossroad: Explained

This entire poem is founded upon a single quote:

“The safest road to hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” -C.S. Lewis

With that being said, I don't really know how more explaining I have to do. But I'll elaborate anyways.

The poem focuses on a man, who's traveling a very simple, easy road. He feels that the road is just a little too easy. And for some reason, the things of his past are coming back to haunt him. But at one point, he comes to a crossroad, and is given a choice: take the hard road, with tough rocks and an incline, or continue down the easy road. He chooses the hard road, and while the path may be more difficult to traverse, he comes to realize that it's actually easier on his soul. Therefore, "the easy road was hard, and the hard road was easy."

Crossroad

The road may be easy, but it’s just too easy.

The road is smooth, but it’s not what I bargained for.

The road never bends, never curves, never breaks from downward.

But I feel it is breaking me.

I can’t say why. I don’t know how.

But there’s no question now.

The road I am traveling has been unraveling

The things of my past, coming back like a nightmare.

The things I’ve done, weighing heavier than the pack on my back

So why is it so easy to walk?

As I talk, I come to a crossroad.

The choice for myself is one of two

Continue the path, or diverge from the path

I’m on the verge of leaving my path, but then I compare and contrast.

One road rocky, one road easy.

One road high, one road low

One road curved, one road straight.

One road light, one road dark.

This road doesn’t seem to bode well

I have nowhere to rest my weary head

No one to comfort me as the creatures prowl at night

Things don’t seem bright for me

I don't know if this is right for me

But there is no more than this

The fork in the road cuts like a knife

This strife in the road breaks my soul

Do I leave the easy road to travel the harder road?

The choice to leave has me relieved

The rocks underfoot tear through my soles

Rough travels are what await me

The road inclines and curves,

but this I have learned; a sudden realization leaves me frozen

The path I have chosen

Proves that there will be pain

But somehow I know

None of it is in vain

As I look back on my choice, I saw it was clear all along.

The easy road was hard, and the hard road was easy.

-B.D.

Originally Written 5/2/15

Equilibrium: Explained

I don't really remember if I was finished with this story or not. But this is how I found it, so that's how I posted it. Also I don't know how much explaining this actually needs, since it's pretty self explanatory. So instead I'll briefly talk about why I think love is so important.

I believe love to be a quintessential quality of humans and God alike. I saw a quote a while back that goes like this:

Know God, Know Love
No God, No Love

Without love, we cannot know God. Without God, we cannot know love, because God is love. Love is the entire reason for our existence, and if that's the case, then love should be a really big deal. But for some reason, it's not really. Love is yet another thing that's taken for granted in our society. And I might go as far as to say that lust has taken more importance to our culture. But no matter how dominant lust becomes, it can never be stronger than love.

Love is something that will never lose purpose, meaning, or relevance. Because without it, the world becomes gray. I feel the need to reiterate the fact that if the Bible says that God is love, then how important must that be to us? Love is not just a feeling, but more like an action, or a decision. God calls us, as Christians, to love. And that doesn't just mean loving that unbeliever in our life. That means loving as Jesus did. He was a holy man among the sinners, the poor, the beggars, the the sick, and the tax collectors. That was a conscious choice on His part. To love those people was not just to be around them, but to help them and to serve them. True love says "You before me" and that is exactly what Jesus did.

I could keep going. There's so much to say about such a vast topic. But I'll stop there.

Love as Jesus did. Because when we know love, we know God.

Equilibrium

Equalibrum

Love is why the universe was created. Love is why the stars gleam so brightly. Love is with us, every day of our lives, whether we know it or not. Love is among some of the poorest souls, and defines the character of our lives. Love is what makes the world tick, and what keeps the earth spinning around the sun without fail. Love is in the rain, love is in the storm. The lightning displays his power, as it crashes to the earth. The resounding roar of thunder illuminating the night leaves us awestruck. Waves throw themselves violently over the waters, and the moon pierces the clouds of the subsiding storm. The cosmos reflect the sheer beauty of his majesty, and reveal to us his brushstrokes.  For the world is God’s canvas, and he made the perfect masterpiece. From the way the stars gleam, to the way the comets race across the night, true beauty is found in His craftsmanship. The thorns on a rose remind us of the choice that was made, as blood trickles down our finger. This blood was never meant to be spilled, but man sinned, and we paid the price. No matter. God’s will was carried out in the most masterful plan ever made. God used the fall of man to bring about the rise of the son.

Originally Written 3/17/14

Double Life: Explained

This poem is largely about the fact that most Christians are only Christian on Sunday. Where we talk the talk, but don't walk the walk.  Know the facts, but can't keep up the act. When we are actually faced with a situation that tests our faith, do we respond in a way that's in accordance with the scriptures? 

Who has the power to win wars;

a stranger knocking at our doors

To floor us when we atone

Who says we’ll never be alone

but is less important than our phone

God is omnipotent, but somehow unfamiliar to us. His grace and his mercy is constantly outpouring, and yet we run away with our problems, instead of running to Him with them. God says "I will never leave you nor forsake you" but still takes the backseat when it comes to spending time with Him or with our phone.

Who brought us back from the dark

bought with the currency of blood

and currently not important enough to mention

not to mention the way we talk

when do we really walk?

once a week?

we’ve become weak

We were redeemed with grace, but somehow it's not important enough to bring up to others. What do we actually say about Him when we're in the company of nonbelievers? Do we only walk with God on Sundays? Our faith has become weak.

if the world had begun again

could we ever hope to gain a name?

it’s no longer a game when the king dines with the poor

would we be fine to be among the poor?

If all of our knowledge of God wiped out, would we be Christians? Would someone else witness to us? If The King of Kings can dine among the poor, would we be able to do the same?

we were poured into

but it's still about ‘me’

God constantly pours his love, grace, kindness, and mercy into us, and yet we use him like a crutch; only when we need to. We've come to think of God as someone who grants our wishes for selfish gain.

in the still, do you see his face?

can we face the facts?

we were a disgrace

but redeemed with grace

deemed fit for the kingdom

now let the king come

for it was said that it was done

In the quiet nights, or the busy days, do you see God? We we once in the darkness, but now we're children of light, made new again in order to be with God in heaven. So let Jesus come, for he had said upon the cross that "it is finished"

no matter how far we run

the son meets us there

burning brighter than the sun

for action can’t earn us what we already have

turning to ourselves to save

living for the grave?

the way we behave brings death

Jesus is there to help us with our problems when we run from God. Actions can't earn us grace. We're too prideful to turn to someone else to save us so we turn to ourselves. And if death is certain, then how are we living? We live sinfully, and sin breeds death.

the things of this world will rest

you know the story, he will do the rest.

its best to live like he died

because there is no “you tried”

so join the cause, march to the drum

the war has already begun.

Everything in this lifetime will eventually perish. Except what is eternal. If you've grown up a Christian, then you probably know the story of Revelation. If Jesus is truly raised to life, then the news should change your life. Because at the end, when you stand before God, there is no "I tried to be a Christian." It's either you lived your life a Christian, or you didn't. The spiritual war has already started; war doesn't wait for people. So join in the fight against the devil. You combat him by growing in your relationship with God. And part of that means that you can't live a double life. No more being a Christian on Sundays only.

So the idea remains as this: Christianity is an everyday thing, and often something we take for granted. But if you really think about how big of a gift it really is to be a Christian, then perhaps we can stop living as if nothing is really different in our lives. The fact is, someone died for us. And yet we don't really behave as if that's the case. Your life was so precious and valuable to someone, that someone gave their life, so that you could keep yours. So what are you going to do with your life?

Double Life

Double Life

Who has the power to win wars;

a stranger knocking at our doors

To floor us when we atone

Who says we’ll never be alone

but is less important than our phone

Who brought us back from the dark

bought with the currency of blood

and currently not important enough to mention

not to mention the way we talk

when do we really walk?

once a week?

we’ve become weak

if the world had begun again

could we ever hope to gain a name?

it’s no longer a game when the king dines with the poor

would we be fine to be among the poor?

we were poured into

but it's still about ‘me’

in the still, do you see his face?

can we face the facts?

we were a disgrace

but redeemed with grace

deemed fit for the kingdom

now let the king come

for it was said that it was done

no matter how far we run

the son meets us there

burning brighter than the sun

for action can’t earn us what we already have

turning to ourselves to save

living for the grave?

the way we behave brings death

the things of this world will rest

you know the story, he will do the rest.

its best to live like he died

because there is no “you tried”

so join the cause, march to the drum

the war has already begun.

Originally written 3/21/15

The White Train: Explained

The first thing you should know about this story is that it's largely inspired by the song Piano Man, by Billy Joel.  So that's essentially where the setting and premise of the story comes from. I wrote this because after hearing the song, I stumbled upon a quote that really resonated with me. "Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about." I decided to illustrate that picture. What does it look like when everyone is fighting a battle that you know nothing about?

When people are hurting they generally go to a safe place. That's what the The Darkest Pit represents. People who are at their lowest, coping with the pain. The first man, with the trenchcoat and shady appearance, was someone who was real with his pain, but hid in the shadows. The second man, the one among friends, was someone who lived in the light, but concealed his pain. And finally, the piano man represented compassion. Our character noticed that the characteristics of the piano player didn't quite match up with his music. He had compassion on the piano man and helped with his problems. 

In the next part, the character comes running out of the pub, shocked at his realization, and takes shelter at the train station. The conductor, of course, is Jesus. The train station is life from a timeline perspective. This is why I got specific when the man in the story asked Jesus to see his baggage; because the platforms and compartments represented specific times in this man's life. However, the numbers of the boarding platform relate to a specific verse:

2 Corinthans 5:17
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has past away, the new has come!"

And the same goes for the ticket:

Matthew 11:28-30
”Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

When the man received the ticket, he received an invitation to follow Jesus. When he boarded that train, he committed his life to following Him. And the seat that the man took represented what we think we deserve when we come to Christ vs. what we really get. Not the average seat, but the best. Jesus only offers us His best when we come to him. And when the train departed: I ended with a simple thought:

"I knew that wherever the train went, it would take me somewhere better. Because for once in my life, Someone was guiding me there."

Finally, the destination, meant walking a blessed life with God. The moral here is that faith doesn't make things easy, it makes things possible. Life with Jesus doesn't automatically make things easy. In fact, it makes some things harder. But the promise is that none of our pain is ever in vain.