beloved child

Shane Claiborne talks about a talk he once had with an old hippie friend who, he says “loves Jesus and smokes a lot of weed”.  He and the friends often end up in friendly debates about faith and the Bible.  One day he said to Shane, “Jesus never talked to a prostitute”.  Shane immediately went on the offensive.  “Sure he did” and got ready to spar.  But then his friend looked him in the eye and said “Listen, Jesus never talked to a prostitute because he didn’t see a prostitute.  He just saw a child of God he was madly in love with.”

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Ah child of God

Battered and beaten

Ah child of God

Confused and lost

Ah child of God

Fear full and anxious

Ah child of God

one seen

by the eyes of love

the eyes of the sacred

the eyes of

God

seen as that beautiful

wrinkly wonderful

newborn

who

ah

has five toes

and five fingers

and yes, its father’s nose

and mother’s smile

that perfect child

of promise

of The Promise

who is

deeply

madly

loved