The Reckoning

You scroll through voices crowding every thought,

But one Lord asks you pause until it's clear,

Not passive consumption, but to truly hear,

A singular attention, dearly bought.

Not feeling's tide that rises, breaks, and leaves,

It claims your will, your strength, your very soul,

A loyalty that asks to pay the toll,

The sharpened word you press in those who cleave.

It cannot live in silence or a screen,

Bind it to your door and to your gate,

Your home, your public life, your whole estate,

Let what you love be everywhere be seen.

The word is near, not distant, not too far,

One Lord, one claim, on everything you are.

Content based upon Deuteronomy chapters 6-8; 15; 18; 29-30; 34