I had a visitor today, uninvited though he came.
I spoke with him for hours, yet I didn't catch his name.
He offered me solutions to the questions in my mind.
Then asked if I were ready for the answers I would find.
Intrigued and apprehensive, I pondered what he said.
Could it be this stranger, could see inside my head?
And what of all the mysteries, that have so long, been concealed?
Would I want to know the answers, if to me, they were revealed?
My curiosity was kindled, as I listened to him speak.
I said love, and life, and faith are the answers that I seek.
He sat down at my table as I poured a cup of tea.
As he began to wax rhapsodic he shared his verse with me.

LOVE is more than what one feels for a husband or a wife.
More than the devotion to the ones who gave you life.
You love your friends and family, a love they had to earn.
For everything you offer them, is offered in return.
Love is not a Christmas gift, exchanged that winter morn.
Like the gold, frankincense and myrrh on the night our Lord was born.
Love is the sacrificial light and forgiveness fuels its fire.
It never makes a profit, no return does it require.
A hand always extended, to whoever reaches out.
Belongs to those who understand what true love is all about.

LIFE is not a sacred gift, nor is it a vicious curse.
Sometimes it can be better, sometimes it can be worse.
It's a responsibility, to all you represent.
That God was right in making you, is in the proof that you present.
If you have more than you need and you feel that you've been blessed.
Can you look back on casualties in the wake of your success?
The lives that you have touched reflect the legacy you choose.
Will your touch be gentle or will it leave a bruise.
And when you are remembered, what will your story say?
A man who found salvation, or a man who lost his way?

FAITH is one who walks a path through perilous terrain.
And should he ever wander, he may not find his way again.
But with every step he takes, the light begins to dim.
Until there's only darkness, to pave the way for him.
He doesn't fall down on his knees and cry out to the Lord.
He doesn't cease his marching, to fumble for his sword.
Fear does not abide in him, and doubt does not belong.
On this path he never wavers, his faith has made him strong.
It isn't light that guides his way; he doesn't know what he will find.
He cannot see what lies ahead, for the man of Faith is blind.

I sat back in my chair, amazed at what I'd heard.
He spoke with such authority, and there was truth in every word.
I had so many questions; I knew not where to start.
Perhaps his words could fill the space; life had left within my heart.
I asked him about happiness, could it be that hard to find?
I asked him about marriage, why it's so often left behind.
Then my query turned to death, that final cold embrace.
Would that be the end of me, when I looked upon its face?
He took another sip of tea, and then began to speak.
I listened to his every word, for the answers that I seek.

HAPPINESS is something that few will ever find.
The one who must pursue it, will soon be left behind.
And those who try to buy it, should heed this good advice.
The thing you wish to purchase, can't be bought at any price.
It's bigger than your pocket book; no market sells its stocks.
It can't be held in someone's hand, or contained within a box.
It is shared among your brethren, they who give to those in need.
What they impart is happiness, and their kindness sows the seed.
So if you seek to find it, remember what you've learned.
The road that leads to happiness, is a path that must be earned.

MARRIAGE is the sacred bond that binds two souls as one.
A shining covenant of love, burning brighter than the sun.
Its power lives
forever, even death can't stay it's might.
No darkness overcomes it, for it was forged within the light.
You'll never run, nor walk away, from a storm's inclement weather.
No obstacle will bar your path that you can't overcome together.
But don't rush into it hastily, with lust to fuel your fire.
That bond will only last as long as your sexual desire.
So if you choose to enter it, those of you who chart its course.
Know the God you're swearing to, does not recognize divorce.

DEATH is like a butterfly, released from the cocoon.
To ride the wind unfettered, far above the sun and moon.
Where shackles once did bind her, now freedom does abide.
She spreads her wings of gossamer, on the currents that she rides.
They take her on a journey, upon the cosmic winds,
where she is reunited with old family and friends.
And there she will continue 'til she hears her name once more.
To return unto her shackles, as so many times before.
The butterfly folds her wings, as the cycle starts anew.
Forgotten are the cosmic winds, and the currents where she flew.

I offered him a meal, and hoped he'd stay awhile.
He thanked me for my kindness, and accepted with a smile.
He ate 'til he was satisfied, then on my sofa, he reclined.
I threw a log into the fire, and we shared a glass of wine.
I asked him about Hope when we face adversity.
I asked of Good and Evil, and what they meant to me.
Then I thought about Salvation, was there time to find its grace?
Would the scars of my transgressions keep me ever from that place?
He looked into my eyes, starring deep into the man.
Then took another drink of wine, as like a prophet, he began.

HOPE is like a sailing ship, dependant on the wind,
To carry her to safety, like an old familiar friend.
When the sea begins to rage, and the sky threatens to fall.
Resolute, she will forge on, though death should come to call.
But she will not give up, her resolve will never bend.
If the sea should try to claim her, she will fight until the end.
She has been here many times, faced death's relentless wrath.
But still she carries on, she never waivers on her path.
She cannot ask for mercy, too great would be the cost.
Should Hope ever submit, her purpose would be lost.

You know of GOOD AND EVIL, the darkness and the light.
But have you understanding, to know the wrong from right.
Good intentions pave the road that will lead to one's demise.
You must understand your choices, lest ye choose a path unwise.
If you give to someone needy a portion of your wealth.
Will your gift result in good, improving life and health?
Or will he be empowered to take the road once more,
that led to his destruction, as he's often done before?
For good is sometimes evil, the reverse is also true.
Be wary of those shades of gray that lie in wait for you.

SALVATION is a promise, a contract signed in blood.
Greater that the covenant given Noah ere the flood.
'Tis a pledge to all who seek it; a light that points the way.
A call to every sinner, that they not be swept away.
But many will not listen, nor gaze into the light.
For they judge themselves unworthy, to come into his sight.
Yet that is why He came here, to make us clean again.
To take upon His shoulders the wages of our sin.
He did not come to judge you, however far you roam.
But to offer you salvation, and show you the way home.

And when he finished speaking, he stood and wished me well.
He hugged me like a brother, then turned and bid farewell.
He looked back only once, a smile upon his face.
Then he simply vanished, he was gone without a trace.
Amazed and bewildered, I just stood there and stared.
While I took up pen and paper and recorded what he shared.
I found understanding, in everything I'd heard.
A deeper sense of meaning, in each and every word.
This tale serves to guide me, through everything I do.
I pray that in the reading, it does the same for you

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Copyright©2017-1999 by Rebecca R. Hammack

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