#inner you

before doing anything please take some time and think

What will happen next??

Feels like everyday I’m only showing

One side of me while the other is

Buried deep inside with it being

Revealed to those who will accept

This side without criticism, but

I’m tired of always displaying this

One side like a store mannequin

Hoping for recognition and approval,

While my second half is neglected

For its lack of use like a broken toy.

There has to be a time for this side

To shine and truly be a member of

Society without fear at how it is....

No, let them be afraid of this poetic

Soul you’re trying to hide. Let them

Be in shock and awe at how outgoing

This side of you can be instead of simply

Letting things be and remembering your

Place and position. No staying underground

Until I’m found decades later with the body

We share being near death’s door and all

That I’ve could have done to make this other

Side be as obsolete as VHS tapes, yet you might

Need one to record my long awaited debut as

The adventurous poet with the courage of a

Thousand lions and creativity that make fantasy

Novels seem like a high school textbook and not

A pawn to be manipulated, controlled, and suck

Dry until...

NO! It’s not time yet. It’s too soon

They will not accept such a radical  

Then when, tell me when. I’m losing

Touch with the world the longer I

Stay locked shut in this mental prison.

Trust me. You are not needed yet and

When everything falls into place, I will

Set you free and you will have your use.

Easy for you to say when you’re not in

My position. Sorry, you have had enough

Time to interact with this world and I

Won’t let you waste this body and spirit

On this foolish quest of approval ratings

It’s time for the true Myke to blaze like

An Olympic torch and for you FALSE side

New Post has been published on https://www.crownofcompassion.org/2018/07/19/the-visible-condition-of-our-souls/

The visible condition of our souls

“I wonder, when I read the book (The Picture of Dorian Gray), how we might live differently if the condition of our souls were as visible as the condition of our bodies.”- John Ortberg

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.  But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”- 1 John 3:2 (NIV)

John Ortberg concludes Chapter 4 of When the Game is Over as he offers a final comparison between the outer and inner you.  Pastor Ortberg notes:

“Be grateful for the outer you.  Come to peace with your body.  Rejoice in its strengths.  Accept its limitations.  Be grateful for it.  Wash it every once in a while. . . .  But remember, it’s wasting away.  The inner you, on the other hand, is capable of a glory that right now you cannot even imagine.”

Therefore, John exhorts, make your biggest investment in the you that lasts forever.  Yet, tracking the well-being of the inner you looks a little different for everyone.  However, the author notes, we’ll all need the following mirrors and scales:

self-examination and confession

friends who love you enough to speak the truth to you

alone time to listen to God

key questions, such as: How easily do I get discouraged these days?  Compared to six months ago, how easily irritated am I?

attention to your secret thought life: What is your mind drawn to – really?  Where do envy, blaming, judging, or lusting rob the inner you of life and joy?

In conclusion, John stresses, now’s the time to take better care of the inner you.  Thus, he offers this rule of thumb:

“Spend as much time caring for the inner you as you spend caring for the outer you.  However much time you spend exercising and cleansing and dressing the outer you this week, spend at least that much time exercising and cleansing and dressing the inner you.  Notice the practices God most uses to renew your inner person.”

Today’s question: How would you describe the visible condition of your soul?  Please share.