Branded

It whispers to me in moments of despair
in moments when I have lost my hope
I feel Your tender compassion calling,
Mine

And there are times when I sit among
the broken pieces of my dreams
and the shattered remnants of gifts
that I carelessly mishandled
Times when I sit in ruin with the pigs
But still Your love calls from home
Mine

Some days I look in the mirror
not recognizing myself
wondering who I am
what I am doing here
and where I belong
Yet every beat of my heart
rings with Your voice singing
Mine

And oh other days my heart rebels
and I turn my back
chasing after something, anything else
I wander far from Your arms
but never Your loving gaze
I bury myself in the cheap and shiny
I run after lies in the mist
But when I look behind me
There You are, waiting,
Patience and Mercy pursuing,
Mine

It is stamped upon my spirit,
etched into my mind,
fused into my cells
This truth,
You

If I am sure of nothing else
If I commit to nothing else
If I am consistent in nothing else
If I succeed in nothing else
Let it be that I loved You
with my whole heart
for my whole life.

If my life reflects nothing else
Let it be this truth engraved upon my heart
Yours

"My dear Jesus, my Savior, is so deeply written in my heart, that I feel confident, that if my heart were to be cut open and chopped to pieces, the name of Jesus would be found written on every piece." Ignatius of Antioch