There appeared a woman with a spirit
that had crippled her for eighteen years.
She was bent over
and was quite unable to stand up straight.
—Luke 13.11
Bowing, in a posture of subservience,
as if unequal, inferior.
Facing the floor, not the horizon,
the dirt, not the future.
Unable to look eye to eye,
intimately, on the level.
Familiar with pain,
her constant companion.
Unable to stand tall, take a stand,
look up, raise a hand.
Unable to embrace, to dance,
to work, to contribute.
Yet worthy, beloved,
gifted, wise and strong.
Not helpless, but patient,
trusting, accepting, and at peace.
Grace reshaped her spine
to match her heart.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net