Beauty

I need beauty
To remain rooted in suffering
When all that’s left is ash
The camp destroyed
Mothers wailing
Children wandering
Crowds screaming
I look to the mountains
Where does our help come from?

I need beauty
As smoke rises
From the valley below
And my heart aches
Knowing I must go
Into the valley
To sit with loved ones
Who have lost all
To weep, lament, and be
I look for beauty
Lead me by the quiet streams

Glorious mountains stand tall
Looking over generations of oppression
And spilt blood
Flowers emerge from cracks
And rocks and mud
Where battles rage
The curious smile of a tender child
Brightens gray days
To enter in the suffering
I must open up
To beauty

The sounds of rushing water
Glimpses of green forests
Blue skies
Anything that sings
“The violence unfolding is not the end of our story”

I will sit here and be honest about the pain
Never can I leave behind
The suffering of our people
Grow me in endurance
Press me further in
Carrying burdens
Christ carries with me
By giving me
His beauty