I NEED PEACE (UPDATED)

God is so good,

He is so good to me,

giving me the blessing of my poetry,

trusting me with this gift of frightfully trying to express myself gently,

when before my words would uncontrollably jump out of my mouth like the steam from a kettle,

boiling over the scorched metal,

making it whistle and scream

as if it were ready to burst 

from a storm flooded stream.

And I never meant my words to hurt.

It's that rare condition, foot-in-mouth disease.

All of my life I was told 
to hold 
any and all emotions inside,
as if feeling was a sin.

Way 
too afraid 
to speak my mind.

Escaping into the little shelter I had made

in the middle of a copse of trees,

where no one could find me,

my secret place to be,
to cry and hide,
daydream.
Closing my eyes,
resting on the slightly damp but soft as feathers 
bed of leaves,
the sun peaking through,
the bits of sky blue,
the spring air
caressing my long hair,
wishing to be someone else,
anyone but me.

Too afraid to offend,

causing turmoil within.

But it's never too late

to express the hurts and the pain.

Give it to God,

write it down,

save yourself

the bitterness

and unforgiveness,

the physical illness it causes from holding it in.

God is never too busy

to lend an ear.

He wants to hear

our sorrows and fears.

Go to Him first

before the dam bursts.

Your life can be

so full of peace,

the kind that can never be found

on this clump of dirt

we call Earth.

Peace that surpasses all understanding,

that we crave with all our heart
and desperately need

can only be found

through God's saving grace.
Rest in His loving protective wings.

PHILIPPIANS 4:7

AND THE PEACE OF GOD,
WHICH TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING,
WILL GUARD YOUR HEARTS
AND MINDS
IN CHRIST JESUS.