Poem August 30, 1982 Issue

Testimony

ELLEN CULLEN

I've filled up my pockets with Your treasures, Lord.

Like a child at the seashore picking up shells,
each one beautiful, each one unique—
evidence of faraway places and whitened shores—
my pockets are filled with proofs of Your presence,
tangible evidence of Your law and Your love: pain vanquished, a heart emptied of regrets,
strength where once lay weakness,
and a well-lit pathway out of the darkness of ignorance,
speculation, and wandering intellect.

The shores of Your new heaven and new earth are not distant.
These shells are fresh, are perfect.
They have not journeyed long on oceans of trouble.
They have not journeyed at all.

They tell me You are present.

My pockets are filled with Your treasures.
Let me empty them in praise, that I may gather more.

ELLEN CULLEN

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