Don’t hide, don’t run

I was sent this poem by a good friend, during a particularly difficult time.  I come back to it again and again (and have even memorised it) because it does me so much good.

I often want to share it with people, but it’s hard to find it online in an easy to link to format, so I’m putting it here.

Don't hide
Don't run,
but rather
discover in the midst of fragmentation
a new way forward
a different kind of journey
marked by its fragility
uncertainty
and lack of definition.
And on that path
to hold these hands
that even in their brokenness
create a new tomorrow.
To dance at the margins
and to see the face of Christ
where hurt is real
and pain a way of life.
To be touched
in the eye of the storm,
aware that tomorrow may not bring peace.
Impossible, you say;
let me retreat
and find my rest.
What rest, my friend,
in these fragmented times?

Unless thou lead me, Lord
the road I journey is all too hard.
Through trust in thee alone
can I go on.

Toyochiko Kagwa.  Japan.
(Though google gives me a variety of possible authors)