Antidote

It's White Bear where it dawned on me the role of antidote,
To ease the friction of the gifts, and what it's all about;
My oldest son's the one who flagged the Babel story line,
How God's the one who slowed us down to give us thinking time –

For mankind chose to walk away from God – live lives for us;
Two garden trees – a choice God gave – we chose the one with fuss;
So, later on, an allergy God gave to slow us down,
So we'd not trash the world, our home, before we came around.

The allergy to other gifts (and cultures based on them)
Is mild, but like some sand in shoe, it drives us ’round the bend;
We need the other gifts whose strengths fill out the things we lack,
But when we're close to them it seems we suddenly pull back.

They grate on us and us on them, whatever can we do?
It's simple – turn the flow around, stop living just for you;
When we are at the center of this good and pleasant land,
We have to suck resources in – that much we understand.

But when the center's seen as God, and flow goes out from Him,
Through us to others ’round about – reverse of human “sin”
(“Rebellion ”, “live my life my way”, “suck power and money in”)
Now green's the grass where we have trod, life works where we have been.

A while ago she pointed out, restraint is also part
Of how to live – hold back at times, don't feel it's always “start”;
She spoke of Abe who lived his life most generous with “yes”;
Son Isaac knew the other half until that mountain test.

Then each the other's side could see, so life could balance out –
“God does not ask for sacrifice of kids”, no more in doubt;
“When we holdback to give some space for them to grow up strong,
We do not drown with nutrients – too much is sometimes wrong”.

Son knew his dad had realized the role of holding back,
Tears flowed despite his hardened heart and sympathy he lacked;
That freed him up to learn the part his dad had known so well –
Flow of resource through us can ease stagnation born of hell.

Life complex is, there's often more than one thing we don't know;
Two thousand years it took for God to help His children grow
Up into all the inns and outs – eventually they knew;
Then Jesus sent Apostles out with flavour for our stew.

So that's the role I've played in life – find parts that I have missed,
Then plug them into life and see if now at last I'm kissed
By life as I cooperate with principles now known –
“What happens when I plug this in, and harvest seed thus sown?”

I must admit I'd rather look for principles quite new,
Than plug them into life I live and see what they can do;
That is my “fault”– a body part I am, I'm not complete;
I need the other body parts – thus antidote is sweet.

It eases up the allergy of cultures based on gifts,
So I can cross the border-lands get insights I had missed;
That does not ease the allergy of other folks to me,
But I can live and learn from them – from allergy set free.

When we see God at heart of life, the source of cash and power,
We're freed to let it flow through us – released within the hour;
We're freed to exercise restraint if that is best (God shows);
And when we goof He laughs with us, for both that truth then know.

I sense it's time to plug this in, apply what I have learned;
Apply the insights I have seen, don't application spurn;
Perhaps there's more then what I've seen, which will emerge for me,
As I live out the truth to date and see what I can see.

Third Culture Kid, my life's been lived immersed in foreign lands;
I've had to border-cross each day so I can understand
How life has worked for other folks, pull parts which work for me,
Then take those parts back to my home so richer life can be.

That's it! – just to build third-culture-life – the process let them see;
(Though details don't apply to them, whatever they might be);
For what folks need to learn these days is how to border-cross,
So they can find the stuff they need for which they're at a loss.

For multi-cultured is our world, and neighbourhood, and street;
How can we learn from other folks – allergic they to me?
The antidote essential is if we'll successful be;
So live it out, and let them watch – thus border-crosser see.

navigation