April 4

A Long Obedience In The Same Direction

by Eugene Peterson

We speak our words of praise
in a world that is hellish:
we sing our songs of victory
in a world where things get messy;
we live our joy among people who
neither understand nor encourage us.
But the content of our lives is God,
not humanity.
We are not scavenging in
the dark alleys of the world
poking in its garbage cans
for a bare subsistence.
We are traveling in the light
toward God who is rich in mercy
and strong to save.
It is Christ, not culture,
that defines our lives.
It is the help we experience,
not the hazards we risk,
that shapes our days.