Eyes to See

The formation that takes place at the edges of mission happens not only among the least-reached but in mission workers themselves. This poem speaks to the precious growth that occurs in cross-cultural servants as they consent to the Spirit’s shaping of their lives. It was written in the context of a Second Half Collaborative retreat that launched our 2024-2025 cohort. It gives language to the experience of one’s spiritual journey being beheld, understood, and affirmed by an authentic community of friends on the road. Spiritual formation encompasses community and friendship formation too.

As always, we encourage you to read for formation and not just information. Read unhurriedly. Read to meet God and to pay attention to the longings God stirs in you. Ask questions such as: “Who sees, knows, and affirms me in these ways? How can I express my gratitude to them?” “How can I create space to see, know, and affirm others in these ways?”

Eyes to See

Don’t worry, dear one:
We have eyes to see.

Eyes to see in you
What many have missed,
And what many more
Have misunderstood.

Eyes to see the beautiful creature
Taking shape in your inmost sanctum’s
Holy, fertile Darkness.

Take heart, beloved of God:
Your impregnation was his doing.

Have patience, treasured of God:
Your soul’s gestation cannot be hurried.

And make no mistake,
This new life is no abomination.

Quite the opposite.

It is Christ in you,
The hope of glory.

It is losing your whole world
Yet gaining your soul.

It is you, at long last,
Selling everything you own
For the pearl of great price
Buried at your core.

Yes, we see the beautiful creature
Forming in your depths.

May our friendship bring this
Divine pregnancy to term.

May it become both
Incubator and midwife
For the wild, precious Gift,
That is, even at this moment,
Kicking your belly from within.