Photo by Josh Chung
Before my beginning You knew me
A seed sown in darkness,
buried by the wages of iniquity.
Knowing the end you plowed through
Pierced hands hung from above
Your loving kindness, all I ever knew.
With tender mercies and unending love,
I was showered with living water
And flooded with warmth
By the one I knew to be the Gardener,
Saviour, and only begotten Son.
The frost melted and spring began to unveil
Yet, I was still a seedling
Bent over and painfully frail
An impatient bud found wanting,
Covered in scrawny shoots,
Stunted in stature, barely there,
possessing little to no roots.
Then the southern winds broke the song of spring
Budding bulbs and bustling birds all blowing in
Lovely lilac lilies lauding over great green olives,
Flowering florets flirting with buzzing bees.
Summer was here
And in this garden of many colors
I stood, tempted with fear
It was soon the season
and though I was yet to bear,
My Gardener overflowing with love,
nurtured me, always near.
Shimmers of sunshine now heated the soil
My naked branches donned a covering of leaves
A scene causing The Father to recoil:
His judgment singled me out from the trees.
With streams of righteousness and rolls of justice
An axe lay ready at my root; pushing me into despair.
Fatigued with worry, depression, envy, and malice
I cried on my knees, praying someone would hear
It was then the Savior told me to cast all my care
He pleaded for my soul
So the Father mercifully granted me a year.
Instead of trusting the Son
I was too focused on my roots
In this condition, how could I possibly bear fruit?
He pruned and groomed
Ploughed and tilled
Cut and dug
Fertilized and filled
He sent His Gift
in Wind and Word
To become one with me
And change my world.
Then it happened miraculously
branches once barren
carrying firstfruits for all to see
From the beginning, You so loved me
Forever true to Your word
You didn’t leave or forsake me
Though dust goes to dust and seasons fade
My sights are set on You
So I will say this; without being afraid:
Someday, with branches bowed
Under this Fig tree,
I’ll see my Gardener, face to face
and He’ll be so proud.
