This is a
brilliant poem by survivor, Jack Stoskopf, a friend of mine across the pond.
Doing the Master’s Work
If I could weld all the stars in the skies,
I could never dry all the tears in little children’s eyes,
There is so much hate and not enough love,
But I will always trust in God up above,
One in four girls and one in six boys,
Are trampled and left as broken adult toys,
I was once one of them left broken and used,
I know how it feels to be beaten and bruised,
I once felt I was the one to blame,
There is no need for all suffering
and shame,
Yet through it all I have always
believed,
In a God of love greater than I can
conceive,
I’ve asked, Why God? What can I do?
To stop the raping and killing and
child abuse,
There is so much evil and not
enough me,
But I continue to work setting captives free.
Jack is a welder who has such pride in his work, and it shows.
He loves his craft. Being a tradesman myself, and sharing a love of the ministry
of God, we have a precious affinity. But it is Jack’s welding that nuances this
beautifully hopeful poem that does not hide the realities of the evil of abuse
in our world.
Jack’s poem is a requiem of endurance, the product of a lifetime
processing the pain he endured in his precious developmental years. It is a sad
poem, but also it is a triumphant poem.
It offers hope to those millions like Jack — the one in four
girls, and one in six boys.
It validates their experience. It gives permission for one to receive
ministry for the suffering inflicted and the shame that is so unfairly felt.
There are many more words I could use, but the real mastery is
in the poem: Doing the Master’s Work.
Thank you, Jack. Love and blessings, my friend.
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