By Harold Vance
It seems we often miss the beauty of the stone
we’re meant to build our lives upon.
We build and build and build things
with the sole purpose being only to build more.
Yet progress is only progress insofar as it continues progressing.
In the eyes of the world
progress may be as regress
and regress progress.
And in the eyes of Kingdom people,
the same may be seen,
as a mirror or a dream.
Are we progressing in our humanity,
approaching more nearly what we are created to be?
Can we build
without rejecting the cornerstone?
Can we step aside
from our worldly inhibitions,
And bless this Kingdom,
that we have been so blest
as helpers called to erect?
Can we pull ourselves away from the promise of ease,
unfulfilled,
yet carrying with it so much remaining unseen
and never unfelt:
isolation,
anger,
envy,
hatred,
jealousy,
worry,
fear,
and loneliness.
These come with the tools the builders of empire would sell to us to use.
Yet we, different builders
of a different kingdom,
choose to remain undignified,
to dig with our hands.
We refuse to nourish our pride with our lives.
We swallow it down,
or as much as we can,
and find that we’re nourished
by our consuming such a tasteless portion,
And it gives us the strength with which
We build community,
True community,
Kingdom community.
We will build this kingdom yet.
Harold lives in the midst of the beautiful mountains and streams of New England, and works as a program guide and teacher at a therapeutic alternative high school program in Vermont. He received his Bachelor’s of Arts in English from Green Mountain College, in Poultney, VT. Harold is currently doing life with the Dwell Missional Community in Burlington, VT, where he is helping to organize a Kingdom arts co-op. The website will be up soon: www.intothemidst.com