“You shall remember all the way which Yahweh your God has led you” (Deuteronomy 8:2)
My writing has always been a companion for my soul. This is most
prevalent in my times of sorrow or loneliness and life-changing upheavals.
Writing also witnesses my periods of joy and excitement as life moves on. The
words I write help me express what my heart longs to say.
My childhood enveloped me in a cloak of shyness. This took years for me
to come out of my shell. Even then I shunned being noticed by other people. I
lived my youth like an unheard of book hidden away in a musty corner of a
library.
Now as an almost old guy it seems years have gone by in the speed of
light. I look back on decades of trying to find myself, and where I fit into
God’s plan. Even today I can blush at mistakes I made in my faith. If it is
possible I’m sure I must have been an embarrassment to God.
In the past three years I know of God’s leading and care. He has brought
my wife and I to a stage in life we can rest in. No, we don’t have money to
burn. We have our children and grandchildren close by. We belong to a caring
church family we love to be part of. Besides such blessings, I am in a deeper
love with my writing.
This month brought a new chapter in the life of my writing. I am in love
with poetry, a beautiful form of storytelling. A serious consideration to write
poetry is new to me. From a distance I have always admired poets. Poetry, done
well, can have a powerful emotional impact on readers.
In the first week of November I listened to a poet on the internet radio
channel, Ancient Faith Radio. Angela Doll Carlson, hosts her program, The
Wilderness Journal. Her way of reading poetry drew me in right away. Nothing
else in the moment mattered as I listened to the beauty of her poem. She read
like she loved every word. Through, Angela Doll Carlson, poetry embraced me. I
sensed God’s call for me to enter this beautiful form of writing.
I am unsure where poetry will take me. For now I’m exploring its
territory. From my point of view, a storyteller who is a Christian, I pray my
poems will give peace to readers and stir their souls. I pray I stay true to
the writing God lays on my heart. I trust my poetry presents a sense of
suffering and hope. This is what my writing is all about.
Please accept this humble poem written for our InScribe family.
Through These Words
By Alan
Anderson
Life’s
storms assail,
while waves
crash over us.
We reach for
the shore,
but the
waves are stronger.
Weakness
overtakes us,
we are
frail,
we cannot do
this on our own.
Our Creator,
the Author,
gives us
words.
Be faithful
to these words,
true heart
words from God.
Like fresh
air,
His truth sets us free.
Our call, to
minister with words,
What a way
to view life!
To give
peace to the world,
comfort to
mourners,
strength to
the fearful,
and life to
the dying,
Through
these words!
Alan lives in
Deroche, B.C. with his wife, Terry. Alan contributed stories to Good Grief People by Angel Hope
Publishing, 2017 and Story by Story: The
Power Of a Writer, Unstoppable Writers Publishing, 2018. Blog: https://scarredjoy.ca.
Alan is BC rep for InScribe.
Your poem is heartfelt and beautiful. God's richest blessings as you explore this new form of expression!
ReplyDeleteHi Tracy. I'm enjoying poetry and right now have lots of ideas for poems. With the poems comes a lot of work deciding on the words to use. Thank you for enjoying our InScribe poem.
DeleteWhat you feel about your writing resonates with me, Alan."My writing has always been a companion for my soul." So true of many of us who are sometimes wordless on the outside but full of beautiful expression on the inside. I admire that you are trying a new genre. It is a high calling to be a poet. Thanks for sharing from your heart!
ReplyDeleteHi Valerie! Thank you for your comments. Yes, as an introvert I find it easier to write my feelings. I'm happy you resonate with the words I wrote.
DeleteThanks, Alan, for sharing yourself and your story and, now, even the poetry that is singing in your soul. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” ~ 2 Timothy 1:7
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon! I'm going to work on poetry and see what comes out of me. :) I have to say, as a storyteller I love poetry as a medium to express myself. I'm hoping people will find meaning in my poetry.
DeleteI love that the shy younger version of you has come out of that shell and is exploring new things. You're words and stories are always an encouraging reminder that we are not alone in our trials. Your poem is beautiful and it speaks of God and the hope we have. Thanks for sharing your new passion for writing.
ReplyDeleteHi Vickie! You are always an encouragement to me as my writing buddy. I'm glad our paths crossed even though we are miles apart. Keep on writing, my friend.
ReplyDelete"We have our children and grandchildren close by. We belong to a caring church family we love to be part of."
ReplyDeleteThis is Great Wealth!
Indeed it is Sandi! :) This pretty well sums up my life as I wander toward my old guy years. No complaints here.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing a brief overview of your life journey with God, Alan. I know what it's like to look back on the shy person who sometimes didn't take chances with God. But God has been so faithful, reminding me that God can and does use those sometimes stumbling steppingstones towards Him to encourage others.
ReplyDeleteOur writing skills always benefit from trying new forms. I enjoy writing poetry too, at least on occasion. Keep creating, Alan!
ReplyDeletePoetry is soul language.Souls will comprehend even before the mind makes sense of it fully.
ReplyDelete