Shoot the Stranger

1 Corinthians 10:31
So, whether you eat or drink,
Or whatever you do,
Do all to the glory of God.

If it’s not loving God,
Then let it lie.
A snake in the grass.

A glimmer of something
In the dirt –
Tin foil wrapper.
Fool’s gold.

Even bending down
To investigate
You’ve lost precious seconds
Of life.

You lose.

If it’s not loving God
Then let it die.
A voluntary suicide
Of distractions.

Getting down to the heart of a thing.
Drilling to the center of the earth.
And asking those killing questions:

Is this for love of me?
Or for love of Christ?

And if indeed
For love of me,
Then pluck the sliver
From the heart.
Cast it away.

Grace will help you.
Grace help me now.

For my heart is so foolish,
So turned around.
So enchanted by trifles.

And grace is not the gun,
But the will to use the gun
To aim and shoot

The charming stranger, in your backyard,
In your chest,
The charming thing who is not Christ,
But is so good, feels and seems
So right, and cannot possibly be wrong,
Not hurting anyone, and for a good cause,
And delicious to the eyes, and good for making one wise.
And you wouldn’t shoot happiness …
Would you?


BAM!


Grace is the will to grab your shotgun
Shoot that good-for-nothing dead
Right to the ground

Don’t never come prowling
Around my back door again.

And to return to the dinner table
Where Christ awaits
And life. And joy.
And suffering. And purpose.

Real life.

 _______________________

Author's Note: 
This poem was inspired by the writings of Brother Lawrence. 
You can view some of his writings here: 
http://www.practicegodspresence.com/