i love this poem
it was posted in the comment section of a post titled fortunate a couple of days ago
the poem was written by karsten piper, john piper’s son
i know everybody could go read it in the comment section, but i believe it deserves further discussion
luke 18:25
by karsten piper
He spread his blanket on the sand,
kneeled and arranged his bowls and tools:
hook, mallet, clamp, chisel, rasp, razor.
His smile glinted in the rongeur’s claws,
and upside down in the curette’s spoon.
Light shone out of the needle’s eye.
“Hoosh,” he said and began plucking hairs,
paring calluses, shearing wool, shaving
to the follicles, cutting to the quick.
He sorted these, trimming skin with skin,
hair with hair, into rows of clay bowls,
and set a large basin to catch each sour drip
as he sliced the hide and used both fists
to yank back the whole stubbled, gray pelt,
as wet and red on its underside as afterbirth.
He piled this heavily away, draping it
in clean linen, and turned to the meat and bone
heaving under sheer, tight membrane.
Sawteeth chewed into femur, rib and shoulder.
Pliers twisted and wrenched away tendons
until everything softened, canted, and collapsed—
yet not one sliver dies. Each ribbon and shard
bawls for the horror and hurt of their missing,
wishing for the old braying wholeness.
Pain bloodies evening and morning,
stabbing day after day from even the first cuts,
like the slow light of far stars.
Eyeballs and heart float alone in the last bowl,
dark and defenseless, quavering when he leans down
and they recognize in his eyes how little is left.
“Easy now, Camel,” he says and lifts me
in his fingertips, one quivering strand at a time,
through the eye of the needle.
i was thinking about “blessings” & “trials” & growth as i read this poem, thinking about what my toughest “tendons” are that God is really having to “twist” & “wrench” in order to soften them enough to be used for His purposes, His plan
pride
control
intelligence
doubt
i love the extremely painful words that were used throughout the poem because it shows the reality that growth is not always a fun, easy process, but when we are finally broken of our ways (sometimes via trials sometimes aka blessings) and used completely for His, we get to experience going “through the eye of the needle”
the promise of future grace because of Jesus.
what are your toughest “tendons”?
what does the poem speak to you?
ltlo
