Jeremy Gardner, fall tour leader of Daraja, recently traveled to Kenya to visit the Daraja kids for 2011. The following are some of his reflections on his experiences…
LIONS AND POETRY
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
EPHESIANS 2:9-10
The word that Paul uses for “workmanship” is the Greek word “poiema.”
We could translate that word “poem” or “poetry.”
We are God’s “poem.”
The girls love that.
It is romantic, it is “Bieber-ic.”
…”Baby, you are my poem.”
Maybe not the manliest thing to hear.
Or is it?
In the ancient Greek world, most art was regarded as confined by rules and laws:
Paintings are determined by what is being painted: nature, people, other art.
Music is restrained by notes, rhythm, time.
Sculpting is confined by the material, gravity, dimensions, physics.
But poetry…
Poetry is limitless.
The poet can write his poetry however he wants.
He is freed from any restrictions.
The poem could rhyme.
The poem could have tempo.
The poem could be set to music.
…or not.
So, when Paul says we are God’s “poiema” he is saying something.
He is saying that God had complete creative license when He created us.
He was not confined by the rules of basic art.
We are His poetry…His freely created poetry.
While we were In Kenya, Abbu said something that I cannot get out of my head.
“You do not take a lion out of his jungle.”
He was saying that these kids, the Daraja kids, are “lions” and they are meant to
be in the “jungle.” They are not housecats.
They are God’s poetry…His lion poetry.
They were created for that jungle…
They were intentionally created for it.
The Kenyans were created for their “jungles,”
we were created specifically for ours.
Whatever our “jungle,” God has created us for it.
We are God’s lion poetry.
