One of the benefits of having an English major in the family is that one gets exposed to authors and genres otherwise not encountered.
I am not one naturally given to the enjoyment of poetry. For me the small amount of poetry that I can appreciate has been an acquired taste. Often when I read poetry, I am like a farmer evaluating a Ferrari based on how many bales of hay it can carry. I cannot grasp the intent of the author.
So, when encouraged to read John Donne’s Holy Sonnets, I was pleasantly surprised by Sonnet number 14.
During a recent period of struggle, I saw Donne on the shelf and pulled it down to p. 252 where resides this Sonnet. Lines 3 and 4 jumped out at me:
That I may rise, and stand, o’erthrow mee, and bend
Your force, to breake, blowe, burn and make me new.
Donne captures some of the essence of Romans 8:28. I was reminded that even in the unpleasantness of life, God is still there, using the circumstances I am now in to shape me into a tool fit for his hand, if I allow the shaping.
These words make me think of the blacksmith shaping the metal through heat and blows, adding strength while shaping the object into usefulness. We live life between the hammer and the anvil.
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