Freedom
by Paul Purdayhttps://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/PaulPurdayPaintings?ref=seller-platform-mcnav
We long for this, we long for that,
Our hope is high but sometimes flat
The acquisition found
A short-lived joy, a briefer spring
That scarcely makes our spirits sing
A transitory sound.
This endless repetition finds
A ceaseless battle for our minds
But one we do not own
A temporary freedom fills
Our heads with temporary thrills
Of shallow joys alone.
'Surely, there's more' our hearts will cry
Although our voices still are shy
Of speaking what is real
For we with shame must soon declare
The understanding's always there
Captives to how we feel.
A new and living way has shone
A light of hopefulness upon
The shadows of our breaths
The chains that life has thrown our way
The world ensures that we will pay
Our sacrifice and deaths.
Light in darkness is brighter still
And shows the One they tried to kill
Those chains He broke for all
That spectacle upon the Tree
Showed once for all that those are free
Who only heard His call.
Called to be free, to know His love
The inner witness of the Dove
Points to a world of light
Darkness dispelled and hope restored
Faith the great gift and the reward
The depth and then the height.
This freedom's price paid by the Son
This Saviour's gift, this victory won
Real freedom now is here
The world's false freedoms, false indeed
Illusory and full of need
Man's way will cost him dear.
Freedom is lost if wrong is covered up
Man carries on and drinks the cup
That spills his selfish way
He holds with vicelike grip and proud
His own agenda to the crowd
Who only own his sway.
Is this the way to live we ask?
Is this the only way to bask?
In freedom's counterfeit?
For it is but captivity
The fiction of diversity
The pill they make us eat.
To be set free the only plan
The heart of love, the Son of Man
To die and rise again
We die and rise in His new life
We have no longer need of strife
Nor do we need to strain.
For all is freely given to us
There is no pay, there is no fuss
Just give ourselves to Him
He has supplied the means to live
His disposition to forgive
And in His goodness swim.
God's beaming full of love and grace
It shines to us in Jesus' face
The beauty of it all
Real freedom now our legacy
The glory of the Deity
The wonder of His call.
This poem was a finalist in the
May 2023 poetry contest
