January 29th

“’You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life.’” John 5:39-40

we trace our fingers
down the verses
as if they were maps
pointing the way to our
preconceived destinations.
we take the words, turning
them over like stones, hoping
to find all our prejudices, our
anger, our fears living underneath.
but the pages rustle softly—
not about life but nudging us
toward it, like sunflowers
turning to that source of light
which stands before us.
oh, we can memorize all
the names of the bodies of water,
yet we miss the water lapping
gently at our toes.
we dip our nets into verses,
trying to pull forth a great haul
of judgement upon others, of
affirmation of our self-righteousness,
but love simply keeps whispering—
not in the margins or in the past tenses,
no, i am breath, i am now, i am
that door you keep reading about
but refuse, out of spite, to open.
and the Old Book
softly closes its pages
so that we might look up
and see life holding open its arms.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman