Yearning for a Place

Yearning for a place to thrive in,
one that we can call our home;
where we find our peace in fam'ly,
and return to when we roam;
it will fill us with belonging;
there our injuries can heal.
Then may Christ reside within us
and in trials with which we deal.

Do we notice there are others,
homeless, sleeping on the street,
forced to live in cardboard boxes,
scrambling for enough to eat?
Trapped by illness or addiction,
often battered by abuse;
lonely souls who've been excluded;
turned from friend into recluse.

Refugees from far-off nations,
fleeing terror, famine, war;
struggling simply for survival,
looking for an open door;
seeking haven, seeking safely,
with what little they have brought;
how could we deny asylum
that our forebears also sought?

Then wherever chance may take us,
work for good in where we dwell.
Forge a space where all are welcome
and indifference, dispel.
Could not we who live in comfort
lend our hand to those in need?
Jesus, who could find no shelter,
looks to us to intercede.

Text by Allan Baer ©2022,
290 Indian Rd., Kingston ON Canada K7M 1T8
email: allanbaer7@gmail.com
website: www.crossroadsunited.ca/spirit