country poetry & more

A Living, Breathing Sermon
(Harold Trent)

Most of what I have learned about being a Christian
was taught by a man of few words.
His quiet example was oft awe-inspiring;
his angry voice seldom was heard.
He had prayed long and often since he was a teen
that a cure for his ills would be found,
the manic/depression that then had no name,
no potion to turn it around.
This “thorn in the flesh” helped to temper his soul
and keep him so humble and meek
that he hated to argue, would not fight at all,
a peaceable answer would seek.
Instead of a miracle cure for his pain,
God granted him wisdom so rare
that he saw things more deeply, saw things he could change,
and had enough courage to dare.
He broke that long steel chain of silence,
hung stained linen out in the sun,
and with the right people at all the right times,
God helped him the gauntlet to run.
His tired, tortured soul has now been released
to God’s eternal rest,
but his message is being repeated
and printed at his request,
to share his tough experience,
tell brothers there is hope.
New medicines now offer
a simple way to cope.

Cora Gail Trent
www.cgtrent.com
cgtrent@att.net