2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

Because of grace,

I am free

to walk this life,

unburdened

by the chains I have

forged

and carried about like a

ghostly Jacob Marley.

Because of grace,

those chains

of bitterness and anger,

of arrogance and judgement,

of hesitation and self-doubt,

have fallen away,

link by link,

leaving a trail for others

to follow

on that road to salvation.

Because of grace,

my only carry-ons

for this journey

are filled

with hope and love,

and weigh

next to nothing at all.

In fact, it is love that lifts me,

and hope that drives me,

and now, not only do I have

the strength

to weather those many storms

while lost at sea,

but I have the vision to see that

that shadow,

sitting on the horizon, is land,

and I am home now and can breathe.

Amen.