On the Care of the Soul
by Michael Doyle
With emphasis on heart, soul, and mind
In gaining that which is not to be left behind
Christianity takes its role in the soul game
Gaining the path of life frame by frame
Authenticity may seem like the soft stuff
But tending to the soul is truly the hard stuff
The disturbances within can serve to inform
About those things to which we must conform
An articulation of thoughts and feelings
That something is off can be quite revealing
In the addressing of symptoms over sickness
And changing this must overcome mental thickness
Our souls can find needed rest in our salvation
Removing troubled souls from the ills of gravitation
Sucked into so much that is truly petty and sad
Into the ways that can obtain good even from the bad
It's up to us to reach out and steadily embrace
Those things that we must keep in fullness not trace
That the things that are seemingly must valuable
Are too often that those that are most vulnerable
The divine thumbprint is found in the depths of soul
And is our essence beyond things too often out of control
All can become weary, struggling in need of rest
But if we give our cares to Christ, we will past the test
God's yoke is not a heavy fit; we are precious in His sight
As He sustains us through our darkness into holy light
Placing our trust in who it truly does best belong
Resting well in our gospel of traditions and songs
Resisting Jesus in His Ways is to be resisting a rest
That we could have in Him who knows the outcome of best
Peace that comes to sustain and allow us to thrive
In so doing we faith it through to not just survive but thrive
Exhausted by the pulls and tugs in every sordid direction
We need not force against the tiredness of God's correction
Feeling inadequate and left withering under unfair criticism
Or falling victim to the foul humor passing as witticism
Or in allowing the world's flattery to fill our heads
When we should cross-check, finding ourselves in dread
Unrealistic compliments have their own set of expectations
And are unwise in comparison, split into too many directions
Be instead who you are and as our God has made you
Stewarding in peace all that is meant to be taken in view
What can anyone give worth the exchange of your soul
Doing what is wrong or not meant for you takes its toll
Awaken instead to the fullness of the God of victory
Who brings to each of us, His goodness and grace for free
Stopping the downhill of our skiing with our slight turn
And in this process learning that we must discern
Then it is in learning what is needed to know
There's no exchange that's even when going against the flow
So called gains of feigned progress and prosperity
Are the opposite of this when it costs your integrity
Life moves as it must, to its best and better place
When moving at the peace of a more sustainable pace
The thumbprint of heaven creates in us, our true image
To be kept in the real and not some faked image
God breathed into mankind our everlasting soul
From dust of ground to fulfill our heavenly roles
Every single of of us has a bit of God inside
This then is the part to allow to shine and never hide
Remember, when we hold God and ourselves apart
We lost track of what is the very best part
The thumbprint of God is what brings us to more
Bringing us up into the havens to truly soar
(c) February 13, 2022 Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved
