Brothers
This day, if any, we’re marked to die,
so to live would cause our Savior shame.
And though only few would choose this course,
let those who will, do so in His Name.
For though our names may be forgotten;
fame and fortune given to others,
those who walk this pathway less-travelled
will be named among us as brothers.
Don’t look around at the faint of heart
who draw back from this battle we fight,
who hold their lives more dear to them
than the cause of the Kingdom of Light.
For they already have their spoils
and none from this victory will share.
To die, if we must, with the coward
is a medal I refuse to wear!
No! Today the call is for the brave,
who will bear the name of Christ with pride.
Him who just the mention of that Name
causes his heart to well up inside.
Let us live to die and die to live,
without hesitation or reserve.
To stand unashamed before our King
and claim a reward so undeserved.
And by His grace, brothers, we will have
treasures that the flames let us keep
to present to Him as tokens that
remind us our reward wasn’t cheap.
The brief sacrifices we endured,
and all the scars ~ he understands them.
How much better to have these treasures
than to come That Day empty-handed!
For he who lays his life down this day
is my brother for eternity.
And we will sing the loudest That Day,
when we sing the song of Victory.
This day, if any, we’re marked to die,
so to live would cause our Savior shame.
And though only few would choose this course,
let those who will, do so in His Name.
For though our names may be forgotten;
fame and fortune given to others,
those who walk this pathway less-travelled
will be named among us as brothers.
Don’t look around at the faint of heart
who draw back from this battle we fight,
who hold their lives more dear to them
than the cause of the Kingdom of Light.
For they already have their spoils
and none from this victory will share.
To die, if we must, with the coward
is a medal I refuse to wear!
No! Today the call is for the brave,
who will bear the name of Christ with pride.
Him who just the mention of that Name
causes his heart to well up inside.
Let us live to die and die to live,
without hesitation or reserve.
To stand unashamed before our King
and claim a reward so undeserved.
And by His grace, brothers, we will have
treasures that the flames let us keep
to present to Him as tokens that
remind us our reward wasn’t cheap.
The brief sacrifices we endured,
and all the scars ~ he understands them.
How much better to have these treasures
than to come That Day empty-handed!
For he who lays his life down this day
is my brother for eternity.
And we will sing the loudest That Day,
when we sing the song of Victory.
3 comments:
John - beautiful!
You know how I love quotes at the bottom of e-mails :o), but a client of mine had this at the bottom of his and I thought it was good. Your poem brought it to mind:
"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failures, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt
Sara
I really like the imagery used here. Using war/battle imagery really helps me in my walk. There are so many significant, strategic battles in our lives that appear mundane, ordinary or insignificant. Our lives are actually much more exciting than they appear and I am reminded of this when I tap into the imagery you used in your poem.
For example, if I gas up my truck and get some coffee at a gas station that I know sells pornography, I have done nothing wrong. I walked in got coffee, paid for my gas, tried my best to ignore what was trying to grab my attention just over the clerks' shoulder. No harm, no foul, right? An insignificant event. Wrong. I may have won the battle, but I gave the enemy a chance to get in my head. So now let's look at the same scenario from a different angle. Let's say that I bypass that gas station in favor of a less convenient but pornography free competitor 2 miles down the road. Who cares, no big deal, it's a gas station, Jeremy. (Insert Napolean Dynamite voice here) "It's just gas, goll." Wrong, wrong, wrong. That was a huge victory but it passes unnoticed if I don't conjure up a little war imagery. "Allied forces scored a huge victory today when they captured and killed a weasel attempting to break through the line. Reinforcements have been brought in shoring up the line even stronger." This builds momentum and helps keep perspective when tempted to do something "insignificant."
I also really like the band of brothers mentality. It really helps when used in situations like the one you deal with in your Feet of Clay post. Ted Haggard just got shot down over Mogadishu and he needs his band of brothers to fight their way to him and then fight for him. "No one gets left behind."
Semper Fi, baby.
Oh yeah, I forgot the music. You need to throw in the Gladiator soundtrack behind that gas station scenario. Who knew that gassing up could be such an incredibly exciting event?
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