No laurels to rest upon

Hebrews 2:8

Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. (KJV)

“We vigorously commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past. We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 84)

Recovered.
The steps worked,
admitted,
believed,
submitted,
inventoried,
confessed,
readied,
released,
persisted,
prayed,
served.
Recovered. But still
a work in progress.
Contingent on staying the course
today each day.

God, relieve me of my pride
in accomplishment, in recovery.
Thanks for what has come,
keep me aware you’re willing for more.

Chaos Eraser

Hebrews 2:7

Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: (KJV)

“How could a Supreme Being have anything to do with it all? And who could comprehend a Supreme Being anyhow? Yet, in other moments, we found ourselves thinking, when enchanted by a starlit night, ‘Who, then, made all this?’ There was a feeling of awe and wonder, but it was fleeting and soon lost.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 46)

When my life feels
chaotic,
that’s not what’s intended,
not what can be,
should be.
When I pause to look
at the wonder,
the majesty,
the mystery
all around, I know
without a doubt
chaos isn’t real,
isn’t natural,
isn’t what should be.
When I get out of the way
the world works
like it was designed to work,
like somebody neat erased
the chaos.

God, erase my chaos,
my doubt, my mess,
and show me your mystery
and majesty
and love.

Woe is I

Hebrews 2:5-6

Jesus, the Man

5 And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about. 6 For in one place the Scriptures say,

“What are mere mortals that you should think about them,

or a son of man that you should care for him? (NLT)

“The less people tolerated us, the more we withdrew fromsociety, from life itself. As we became subjects of King Alcohol, shivering denizens of his mad realm, the chilling vapor that is loneliness settled down. It thickened, ever becoming blacker.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 151)

Woe is I,
worthless piece of
excrement.
Shivering madness,
chilling self-contempt,
thickening blackness.
Mortal. Morbid.
Meaningless.
How could anyone care for me
when I don’t care about me?
I don’t know.
I only know
the Son of Man does
care for this odious
daughter of man.
If God be for me
how can I be against me?

God, thanks for loving me
until I can love myself
and for sending other people
to model that love for me.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible,
New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,
Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Avoiding Stupid Choices

Hebrews 2:2-4

For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;

How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? (KJV)

“Understanding myself now, I fared forth in high hope. For three or four months the goose hung high. I went to town regularly and even made a little money. Surely this was the answer—self knowledge.

"But it was not, for the frightful day came when I drank once more. The curve of my declining moral and bodily health fell off like a ski jump.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 7)

You can’t say I don’t know how –
I’ve watched – lived – the program working.
Divers miracles, indeed, gifts of God
wonders, signs.
Proffered, available,
here for the taking.
Who would decline?
Who would choose
the gloom?
Who would fall away
from truth, from love?
Who would choose defeat?
Cunning, baffling, insidious
it is, this pariah.
I pray I choose the gift today
and each today to come.

God, let me not neglect your grace.

Alone on the ladder

Hebrews 1:13-14 (second entry)

And God never said to any of the angels,

“Sit in the place of honor at my right hand

until I humble your enemies,

making them a footstool under your feet.”

Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation. (NLT)

Angels are servants,
only servants,
like second class,
like riffraff.

Guardian angels,
a real angel,
as sweet as an angel,
gone to be with the angels,
with the riffraff? With servants?
Perspective’s everything.
When speaking of one
higher than angels,
how high they are
fades in importance.
I’m okay. I’m fine.
Even if I’m lesser,
riffraff when contrasted
that doesn’t mean I’m
not fine, high enough
not real.

God, enough of my ladder,
folks higher, lower,
none on my rung.
I’m lonely. Enough with
knowing about, not knowing.

Scripture quotations marked NLT
are taken from the Holy Bible,

New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004.

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,

Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

The Crowd of Witnesses

Hebrews 1:1-2

1God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,

2in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. (NASB)

Actually we were fooling ourselves, for deep down in every man, woman, and child, is the fundamental idea of God. It may be obscured by calamity, by pomp, by worship of other things, but in some form or other it is there. (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 55)

God’s out there, up there, everywhere
power beyond power
love beyond love
shouting through thunderstorms
whispering through a cricket’s chirp
speaking to us though we don’t listen
sending his essence, his doppelganger,
his son
to show us, help us hear,
get the fundamental truth
to echo the eternal song of love,
of acceptance, of peace,
of hope.
He molds the world –
he cares for me.

God, calamity, pomp, other things
distract me from
truth around me – in me – of me
the me that is
you and your
word.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995
by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Superior Arrogance

by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Hebrews 1:3-4

The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. (NIV)

Dad may feel that for years his drinking has placed him on the wrong side of every argument, but that now he has become a superior person with God on his side. (Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 129)

I’ve lived on the ladder,
isolated on my rung,
above most folks
below a few,
below God
too for up there to notice,
above the masses.
Who set my rung?
I did. After I’d done so much
become so important
excelled.
Not knowing what others had done
even the miraculous,
ignorance is bliss
superior bliss
superior arrogance.

God, I need the crowd of people around me
to stop the isolation,
to let me learn what they have to teach me,
what you would teach me through them.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE,
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica.
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.