Zoey's Got Guts

(I, the prodigal one, speak)
I am the Lord’s.
His judgment about me
Is true and just,
Filled with grace and love.

You rescue me!
You set my foot on solid ground.
You bathe me in love,
Cleansing me
And bandaging me back up,
Salves rubbed in.

Rocked to sleep in Your arms—

Awoken by sunrises,
Awed by sunsets,
Astounded by love freely given—

Surprised by joy—

Is this really my birthright!?!

This lovingkindness
That doesn’t let me go,
That searches for me diligently
When I become lost or stray!

Is this really my birthright!?!

The One Who Sees Me rejoices and shouts
“Come celebrate—
My lamb who was lost
Is now found!”

(The elder brother speaks)
Don’t You know
What that lamb did, Lord!?!
He wasted his life doing evil! 
He dishonored you!

(The One Who Sees Me speaks)
Oh, elder son—
I HAD to rejoice—

Your brother who was lost
Is now found!
Your brother who was dead
Is now made alive!

I had to rejoice!
Come, celebrate with me!

I had to rejoice!
What was lost is now found!

(I, the prodigal one, speak)
Oh, Lord,
       I’ve been found!
            I’ve been found!

Dead, but now alive!
Forgiven.
Healed and healing.
Made new.

Washed by the blood of the lamb.
Purified.
Made whole.
No longer hiding.
No longer ashamed.
(Well, still working on that one!)

You give me new life.
But it is a journey for me
To learn how to walk
In newness of life.

You give me a new path to walk—
A new identity—
A new relationship with You.

This is my birthright?          It is!

Even though I still need cleaning up,
You’ve been healing me
And how well I know it.

I’ve a long way to go
Learning to walk
This path of abundant life—

But so far I have come—
So far I have come.
You, Lord, know just how far I’ve come!

You who began a good work in me
Are faithful to complete it.

I rest, Lord, on Your faithfulness.
I praise You for that refiner’s fire
You put me through
To make me more like You.

Give my kids and their kids
And their kids’ kids
More freedom in Christ
Than I have.

Help me learn
To sit uncomfortable-like
With others’ feelings of anger—
To hopefully, one day,
Sit more easily
With someone else’s anger.

That’s a big one—I don’t have that skill yet.

I am Yours—
Do with me what You will.
I trust You.
I want You in my life!

Being Your beloved kid is my birthright!
I am Yours and You are mine!

The End

Based off of the prodigal son story in Luke 15