Matthew 10:16
“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
You did not lure us in Jesus
with eloquent words
and empty promises
You warned us
Time and again - This won’t be easy
You told us how many times - and more
that we’d need to dredge the depths of forgiveness
for ourselves and others
You called us
To be wise as serpents
and gentle as doves
That wisdom has been hard won
For so often it is interpreted as submission
As turning the other cheek
and giving our fleece as well as our hoodie
There comes a time
when wisdom involves
calling a spade a shovel
and saying Enough. No more.
And that gentle as doves?
Means being gentle with ourselves
when the cost of resistance grinds us down yet again
as we speak truth to power
refusing to have our hurt explained away
and our resilience questioned
Or our narrative dismissed as idle tales
Wisdom and gentleness do go together
Just not always as imagined.
