ASHES
 
I recall being a small seedling
Finding warmth and nourishment
At the foot of my mother
A stately palm standing so tall
Who with her branches widely spread
Shaded and protected me
 
Year after year
Reaching upward and outward
I grew straight and strong
As the birds of the air
Perched and lived
And fruit came forth
In my outstretched arms
 
Yet in time
My strength and fiber
My beautiful fronds were noticed
Taken up for a greater use
A use I never would have anticipated
Bringing glory to me, a simple creation
As my branches covered the path Jesus would pass
 
Then collected and burned after that great day
Converted from leafy green frond to ash
By those who were there
In fear, they disposed of the evidence
Yet they were marked by the sooty ash
And became known as Christ followers
 
They recognized each other in that simple way
Marked by the ash of what was once beautiful
Used in His plan to glorify
But now transformed to mere soot
Yet still reminding all of God’s plan
For even the simplest of things
To be used by His all powerful hand
Transformed and then used to transform
                                                                                                AC022709