Carol To—Aberdeen, UK

Rushing to rise up at the break of day,
Ticking off tasks, meetings to complete,
Racing the clock, trying to break away,
Catching the bus, a day obsolete.
Rushing life’s course, come what may,
“I’m sorry, I’m tired,” to Him I say.
Closing the Bible just to pray,
Rushing to bed to finally sleep,
Rushing to start again the next day.

But then it happened like a thief in the night.
How or why? A virus, a plight.
Without much notice our lives stood still.
There was no more rushing, quietness instilled.

To all four corners, the whole world froze.
Busy chapels hushed, their lights once bright.
Piano strings danced their hymns to a close.
Church grounds fell empty, in just one night.

Sabbath worship was alone and enclosed
The weekdays dragging into long weekends
Seeing brethren through a screen days on end.

Calling and begging, my heart exposed:
“Why do You not answer when I need You most?”
No one hears, no one is close.
In a place of wilderness that no one knows.

It’s funny how quickly times can change;
When we’re consumed in a world that we imposed,
A world with no function, a world disarranged.
“What happened to my job? What happened to my friends?
What happened to my plans? Please say it’s all pretend.”

“Nothing,” He tells me.
The truth, I could not see:
The one who was not there,
The one who did not care;
The silences, the pleading, the ears that did not hear;
It was me, O Lord, my love for you degraded.

“It was for you, My child, it was for you that I waited.”

“You were tired every day so I took away your stress.
I gave you all the time you lacked to escape from all the mess.
It was for you, My child, for you I created
A chance for you to come back to Me,
Far from the will you dictated.”

“I’ve been here the whole time, hoping that you knew:
You asked to spend more time with Me—I did this all for you.”