The Idolatry of Man

By Cassi Cox

I didn’t know the reality of God

God didn’t dwell

^{Not near me}

Not amidst those I experienced every day

I didn’t see God

Feel God

Know God

Touch God

^{I was never loved}

In a way that showed me that God is real

Present

Active

In us, among us, between us

And then there was you

^{There was you}

Contradicting everything I’d ever known about people

About the world

_You

With your never-failing faith

In God

In me

Holding space for my hope

My pain

My joy

My tears

My successes

My fears

_{There was you}

Persistent

Sustaining

Security and Safety

Foreign to me

Hope and Adulation

Shocking to me

Love that never failed

^{Changing me}

Relationships come and go

This change perseveres

Roots my faith

In the reality that God is here

In us

Among us

Between us

Because I saw God in you.

In a world that is constantly dangerous

Scary

And I must protect

Defend

Guard

You are proof

You validate the gospel

Living, breathing, loving proof

That this is real

This is not a fable

Fairytale

Because you exist

Through it all

in the middle of it all

^{You exist.}

I cling to this truth

While the world crumbles around me

abuse

deceit

objectification

oppression

depression

the pervasiveness of self-centeredness

bleeds through

staining everything

^{everything but you.}

You remain a light

A beacon

Hope

Perseverance

Faith

Love. Above All Else.

Love

Because of this

I face tomorrow

Because of this

I stand with confidence

Strong and ready

To bring the kingdom of God

to the darkness of earth

But what happens

if

when

You aren’t safe?

If

When

Your love fails?

If

When

Your light fades?

Where is God?

I cannot see.

It’s hard to hear.

Everything is muffled.

Broken

Bleak.

Can I hold the beacon for you?

For us?

Do you even want to see?

Do I?

Am I even able, now that my foundation is cracked and shaken?

What happens then?

What happens now?

I stand on sinking sand.

Be Bold, Live out Loud

-CC