TUMBLEWEEDS

Brother Where Art Thou ?

Tumbleweeds

My thoughts travels back again in time

as I reach into the dim lit closet of my mind.

Your passionate pursuit stunned

my once rogue and rebellious spirit

which drove me on top of star apple tree.

You came to bring light and life

into my dark and empty soul.

But what Zacchaeus climbed to see

I did not seek nor saw that day.

So I hang on for dear life

to the swaying branches of my dead faith.

Concealed by the canopies of my self-righteous pride

as you repeatedly call out my name.

And I went on and paraded with the Chaldeans.

Spitefully mocking your new-found creed.

Trampling the seed you wanted to sow like swine

with my ignorance and utter indifference.

Chanting with the crowd my mantra - " A COMPLETE

WASTE OF MY TIME ! "

Then the wind of change came blowing in my direction

as I struggle to make sense of what you're professing.

I trailed behind like bloodhound sniffing your heavenly perfume.

But lost track of your scent in the place where you have gone -

a land flowing with milk and honey.

Subtly you have been enticed by its deceptive glitters.

Snared by its passing allure. Causing me to wonder

as tumbleweeds rolls down the dirt road of reality

of your dry and dusty life.

Leaving me not with an exclamation 

but a question of your genuine conversion.

As the faint fragrance of your once sweet cologne

slowly dissipates on the streets of no return.

Packs of stray dogs licks with you

the vomit you regurgitated beside the mud

with a smirk on their snarly face.

But here I am  once again walking through

the back roads of your birthplace.

Signs of overgrowth and neglect blocks

the once clear path leading to your prestigious monolith.

Still a small obtunded fig tree remain standing there .

Its twisted roots wedge by rocks to where it was sown.

And tall weeds obscure your once prominent home.

I knelt there bewildered

while my hand brush away the moss 

that covers the intricate letters engraved carefully

by Someone through that solid granite stone.

My heart aches with sorrow that I myself couldn't put in words.

While the clouds sympathize with me with an overcast sky.

Partially blocking the sun that passes through your sparse leaves.

I look up with sadness in my face

for I have not seen a single fruit hanging from your nimble bough.

 

Though the ground from where you lay

is soaked with so much rain ...

by NeiL ArandA  06/02/2015

Author's Note

Zacchaeus - is a vertically and horizontally challenge man from Jericho who is the chief tax collector for the Roman government. He became rich by defrauding his own people. Repugnant to the masses, he saw his life without purpose and meaning until he heard about Jesus passing through Jericho and had a curiosity to see what He look like. To get through the towering crowd, he climbed a sycamore tree to get a good view of Him. Jesus saw him and called him by name though they've never met and he came down the tree a changed man. From greedy to generous Zacchaeus.

Tumbleweed believers is an oxymoron, meaning it’s self-contradictory. A tumbleweed is an unattractive, troublesome plant that rolls around. Having no root, it’s simply tossed about by the wind. A Genuine believer in Christ, on the other hand, is one who has a firm foundation and is deeply rooted in God.

Tumbleweed believers have not allowed their ROOTS to sink deep into the fertile soil of truth. They have childish behavior. They get easily offended and pack their dolls and marbles and run off to another church. If they didn’t get their way.

Tumbleweed believers begin to ROAM when confronted by a little pressure which uproots them. They were blown by the wind and are helpless to decide their own ROUTE. They are in and out and come and go. They spread their unwanted seeds at RANDOM when they began to associate more with the world.

I’m reminded of so many people I’ve met over the years who have disenfranchised themselves from the body of believers. Someone hurt them and they are bitter about an event that took place or happened in the past. The list goes on and on. Let’s not allow that bitter seed to take root. Shake off everything that happened in the past, settle in, and begin to grow again.

Let’s determine to allow our roots to grow deep in Christ and don’t let anything or anyone blow you off course. Align yourself with believers who are deeply rooted, continually growing, and ever producing fruit for the Kingdom...

Reviews

[gabrielle]

Very interesting narrative, Neil. This is inspiring story of one's journey towards spiritual awakening/conversion. By the way, stanza 5 onwards reminded me of your Cedar of Lebanon. I believe that we still put high premium on integrity these days , which is why we often get disillusioned when the people we admire most conduct themselves in contrary to what they teach. But then, there's always a defense for such misgivings as stated in certain verse, we can follow what they say but not their example.

[NeiL ArandA]

You saw the similarities Gab. That was a very good observation. There's a connection. This piece is about my experience with two young new converts in my secondary years. Who became passionate and active about their faith. They did plant the seed in my heart. Then after that the seed they try to sow germinated and became a sprout over a period of time. While it is still trying to establish its roots. I have lost both of them. The influence of the "new world" is too much for them to resist and they have been snared by its deceptive and passing allure. The seed that they have in them was choked by the cares of this world and the pride of life.

The Cedar of Lebanon is my experience during and after harvest or my conversion and the people involve had gotten into carnality or flesh by condemning and gossiping when someone goes to time of trial and testing. I saw their double standard. And it broke my heart to see someone who led you to Christ then kick you on your side when you are at the lowest point in your life.

Thank you for dropping by and leaving your thought here on my page. Have a bless day. :)

[NeiL ArandA]

P.S. I forgot to mention Gab. There's this one young classmates of mine who was so passionate and persistent to drag and bring me to church that I have to literary climb on top of the Caimito ( Star Apple Tree ) to avoid and evade him. It's like the story of Zacchaeus in the Bible who climbed a sycamor tree so he could see Jesus because he was vertically challenge. But my intention was completely the opposite