The valuable time of peace

in a moment of time alone

is a treasure I have grown to love

after all the troubles I’ve sown

A time not long ago

when torment had its place

my world of disarray

left scowl upon my face

The way I viewed the world

would rob the longing for joy

The hole inside my heart

filled with that which did destroy

Time was spent within prison

the one within my head

where sadness was the debauchery

along with anger, self-pity and dread

How often I would fold

under pressures of the world

the ones that I had chosen

when I walked through life unfurled

gathering up the things within it

and bringing them back in

rearranging those collected devices

with the emotions held within

What could have been so beautiful

or what could have brightened my day

was only covered in emptiness

and quickly thrown away

---

A joy of indescribable measure

appeared within my cell

He said, “My son, come with me”

we had somewhere else to dwell

I took a walk outside

those walls that were not there

The jail was only imagined

a comfort for my despair

He took me on a journey

through the way He had always known

nothing like the one I had created

when free-willed choice was sown

He was aware of my decisions

He knew I’d come around

when those shackles became incapable

of holding me to the ground

He showed the fruits of His Spirit

and told me to keep them near

He showed me a temporary world

this one of sin and fear

then He showed me an eternal one

where He is always king

where demons have no place

where angels always sing

---

The life that I was choosing

not grounded in His way

where love was not the answer

to the questions of today

it had me in the crashing waves

that took me out to sea

I called out for a lifeline

that never fell on me

but then I washed ashore

and He was there to say,

“I’ll give you rest, my son, if you choose me on this day”

The peace is now within me

as I go about the days

The love that I was lacking

is now center of my ways

Will I take it all for granted?

Oh no, the mind is strong

It creeps up on the man

whose nights were once so long

I see old days of torment

in that prison, I did live

where sadness was the debauchery

and love, I could not give

Peace is of great value

in each moment that rears its head

I find it in His peace

and embrace the words He said

I find the joy within life

and know that He is there

as I go about the temporary

and see His eternal care