The Garment of Sadness
by Paula Peckham
Sadness is a heavy garment.
A well-made garment, with tightly-sewn seams.
We can forget—for a moment—that we wear it.
It would be easy to drown under that garment.
So easy.
But faith is persistent.
Insistent.
And it seeps through those tightly-sewn seams
one drip at a time.
Unceasing.
Relentless.
Faith
Faith
Faith
Faith
Faith is our lifeline.
We grab it like a drowning person grasps an offered hand.
Though the garment is heavy, and it weighs us down,
we grasp that lifeline, and struggle through the next breath.
We force the next step.
We search through the darkness for the tiny spark of life inside.
The spark that faith protects for us while
we grieve
and rave
and die inside.
When there is trust enough to let sadness go,
F
A
I
T
H
lifts it away and leaves peace in its place.
And we realize we can breathe again.
And smile.
Even laugh.
We leave the garment of sadness lying in a sodden heap
heavy with its soaking from our tears and horrible sorrow.
And we crawl from underneath its crushing weight.
So we wait on the LORD for that day.
We wait.
We wait.
We wait.
And when that moment arrives,
we realize by its absence how heavy that garment had been.
We realize by its absence we are free without it.
And we soar.
Awake Our Hearts 