Half-Hearted Creatures by Kimberly Phinney

God shouts his love 

from cumulus clouds,

from tremulous birdsong,

from sprawling mountain spines—

almost as if the God who does not beg is beckoning,

“My child, do you see me now?”

God shouts his love

from infant eyes that gaze into our own,

              from little fingers that wrap and cling to us for life,

                           from the morning sun rising after their sleepless nights—

almost as if the God who came as a baby is begging,

              “My child, do you hear me now?”

God shouts his love

from silent pages in sacred texts,

              from burning bushes and desert tents,

                           from scarred hands and empty tombs—

and miracles upon miracles that we refuse to reckon with—

almost as if the God who created all things is telling us,

              “My child, will you love me now?”

But I, who am too full of pomp and pride,

would rather busy myself with the triteness of life—

worshiping trinkets instead of his Crown.

For, I am the half-hearted creature the poet described,

trading God’s Majesty for slums and mudpies—

while somewhere in Heaven, as we speak,

there is a glorious Holiday at Sea. 

Oh, God,

in all your goodness,

have mercy

on me!

Kimberly Phinney is an award-winning professor, writer, and founder of TheWayBack2Ourselves.com. She holds her M.Ed. in English and is completing her doctorate in counseling. Her work appears in Christianity Today, Ekstasis, Solum, and more. Her poetry collections, Of Wings and Dirt and Exalted Ground, were bestsellers. Her book on art and faith debuts with Baker Books in 2028. She’s a Pushcart Prize-nominated poet, Audience Choice winner with Ekstasis, and runner-up in Fathom’s Poetry Contest. You may find her on Instagram.