Warrior Journal

PIECES

It is as if I am running with my arms full—full of the pieces of my life—the brokenness of me. But all my pieces aren’t there.

I am running.
Running away from those who hold pieces of me.
Running from those I trusted—those I loved—those I love.

But I can’t be with them—they are not good for me.

They hold part of my spirit.
My fault though, I put my heart out there.

I run.
I stumble.
piecesI stumble cause I keep looking back.
I stumble cause I can’t stay focused on the path ahead.
So I drop pieces.
More of me is missing now.

I look back—I can’t help it.
Why do I keep looking back?
It is painful.

Sometimes I stop running and turn back to where I came from.
Though I lose time–though it is painful, I turn back to the ones I love.
If I didn’t love them, I wouldn’t turn back.

My heart is torn.
It hurts.
I’m fighting for my heart.
I want to build a wall around it—this would be safer.
I don’t want to love anymore—except for one—the “innocent one.”

The “innocent one”—sometimes I think my heart will EXPLODE when I think of him.
The others, THEY SHOULD KNOW BETTER!
They hold pieces of my heart.

BUT I am WARRIOR!
I am putting on my breastplate.

I run again.
Only it is harder—wearing the armor makes it harder to run.
But I MUST RUN.
Still running, I try to pick up the pieces.
I suppose I will keep running…till that day.
That sweet day when I don’t have to run anymore.
That sweet day when I am whole again.
I will be whole in HIS arms.
That is worth running for!!!
That will make loving again, worth it!

HE is running behind me.
HE is picking up my lost pieces—
Because there is something to be learned from them.

Creative Commons License
Copyright Elaine E. Chapman-Foster 2017

Mario Licup

Riverbank

‘He said, “Son of man, have you had a good look?” riverbank

Then he took me back to the riverbank. While sitting on the bank, I noticed a lot of trees on both sides of the river.

He told me, “This water flows east, descends to the Arabah and then into the sea, the sea of stagnant waters. When it empties into those waters, the sea will become fresh. Wherever the river flows, life will flourish–great schools of fish–because the river is turning salt sea into fresh water. Where the river flows, life abounds. Fisherman will stand shoulder to shoulder along the shore from En-gedi all the way north to En-eglaim, casting their nets. The sea will teem with fish of all kinds, like the fish of the Great Mediterranean.”

‘”The swamps and marshes won’t become fresh. They’ll stay salty.

“But the river itself, on both banks, will grow fruit trees of all kinds. Their leaves won’t wither, the fruit won’t fail. Every month they’ll bear fresh fruit because the river from the Sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.”‘

EZEKIEL 47:6-12 The Message

Mario Licup