Lessons From The Child

By J. K. Woodruff

Lessons From the Child is a collection of poems exploring the connected learning between the physical and spiritual parent-child relationship. The author takes us back to remember the innocence of our earthly childhood while encouraging us to apply adult thoughtfulness to our present, spiritual parent-child relationships, examining questions relating to creation, forgiveness, struggle, judgment and love along the way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jesse Killings
• Release date: Jan 28, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386548584

Book preview

DEDICATION

To my mother,

VMK

I will for them

As you always have for me

How better to exceed His expectations?

DEDICATION

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

In The Womb Of The Beginning

Bubbles

If Only I’d Known

The Monitor

Stronger Than Me

Sound Judgment

The Horizon

ABOVE THE LAW

Acquaintance

Perfect Work of Art

Peppermint

Princess Down

Jealousy

Love Path

Fair Rivers

ONE FOR A MILLION

War

Sleeping Bull

Pieces

Unintentional (Model 1)

Acquired Skill (Model 2)

Remembrances (Model 3)

Three Dimensional Canvas

I

Like Father, Like Son

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness……

And so we were created in his image. Have you ever stopped to wonder EXACTLY what being created in his image meant to the person that you are? Since God is Spirit, I believe that our likeness is a likeness of spirit – possibly even emotions and feelings. The Bible often speaks of emotions that God has that are the same emotions that we possess as humans: joyous, proud, pleased, jealous, angry and disgusted. I’m amazed that God has these emotional responses to things that we, his children, have done and continue to do. Because of our likeness, I have to wonder if one way to know more about the intimate thoughts of God is to look very deep within myself. This definitely isn’t to say that I’ll understand his ways, but I can possibly gain a slight insight into his emotions, and consequently, better understand his actions and responses to me and mankind.

I’ve read many stories in the Bible and thought Why would God react like that? or I can’t understand what God was trying to do or get across to this person. Although I’m on a continuous journey of spiritual understanding, the meanings of many scriptures and situations in the Bible have taken on a different meaning to me as I better understand my nature and role in relation to God. Even though I am an adult among humans, and a parent to my children, I am at best an infant to my heavenly father. Dwelling on the literal interpretation of this reality has enabled me to recognize similarities between our behaviors – between parent and child.

It’s interesting to think that GOD may view me in the same way I view my children since I often find myself doing very similar things they do. All of a sudden, God’s actions in scripture become crystal clear to me, and I can understand why God responds as he does to his earthly children and to me specifically. I do understand