November 28th

"Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you;” 1 Peter 3:15b

it is not like fumbling
for the key, as our arms
are full of doubt, trying to unlock
a door we never encountered before.
hope is that secret whispered
to us so long ago, we forget
that grace has grit,
compassion has breath,
love refuses to be put
in a time out in the corner.
so, whenever folks want
to put us in the dock,
waiting for us to come up
all sorts of shaky alibis,
may we not boast
about multi-campuses
or winning strategies
or sold-out seminars,
but simply whisper in
a soft voice of faith
of how lost we were
until Someone showed us
the way home, and
maybe a person on the jury,
or in the back of the room,
or sitting on the bench
begins to feel
the first stirring of that hope
which has been inside them
all along.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman