Dancing Cheek to Cheek

we all marvel at Your unexpected moments
even after reading Matthew
the same stories remained Ziploc fresh
in Mark, Luke, and John
all pointing to Your love for those who hurt You
"turn the other cheek" You said
but the words became a song
when You danced with Grace
in those last few days
thank you for teaching me the steps
as I called out to You
in the suffering of sandpaper people
lashing out in their own personal pain
with me as an easy target
but I let their sandpaper grow
into the blades of sleepless nights
like moss at the edge of a swamp
or mold in the back of the refridgerator
help me to stop M&Ming the pain
with a thin candy-coated smile
Tonight, I give them to You
so I can finally get some rest,
offer the left cheek
still feeling the sting on the right
and dream of You and I
dancing cheek to cheek


"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain


"But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." Matthew 5:39

"Forgiveness is not a feeling or forgettting, or even reconciliation. It is a choice we make over and over again, and it has the potential to change everything." Rob Wegner