The Maker Changes Me

I've been studying Jonah a lot lately and thinking about how God disciplines his children when they rebel. I've also been thinking about the way C.S. Lewis described the process of sanctification in "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" and that led to this poem.

Stomping my feet, I turn my back.
Questioning the fairness of life
and complaining of what I lack.
I feel bitter and full of strife.

The Potter says to me, "My child, I made you think way for a purpose."

Like scales of skin that rip and tear
is the pain of becoming pure.
Why is this change so hard to bear
and how much more can I edure?

The Refiner says to me, "My child, you will shine as silver when I am done."

Finding myself in a new place,
I grow and flourish like a tree.
Pruning may bring a wince on my face,
yet I know it's what makes me free.

The Gardner says, "My child, I have planted and watered you into something beautiful for me."

I may wander and I may roam,
but back to the fold I am led.
I will always be brought back home
and there I find rest and am fed.

The Great Shephard says, "My child, you are mine and for you I died."



"The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I've ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off."

Eustice in "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" by C.S. Lewis