It would mean more than strapping logs across one’s back

For lives have passed through time’s turmoil without knowing rest from toil

At a moment’s notice

To glory in the fame of decided misfortune would not count as worthy

A messiah that comes to be a star is far from pressing need

From creation’s yearning heart and tear-stained cheek

From the clearly cracked voice of a mothering child

From the dirt of sweet-smelling soured cup’s content

Life’s handed ups and downs

And its miseries and boring nothingness

Giving up and giving in is spot on

Letting the will for comfort lose

Letting loss of self pride be now and ever more

Letting go of me

Zealotry has changed the course of history many times over

Whether it be shattered glass panes or loving with abandon

Whether it be cities ruined or lives enlivened

Whether it be slaved provinces or a culture of sacrifice

Bearing the crossed stakes should inspire to conquer hearts, not lands

To build a family, not an empire

To have faith, not greed

To be Jesus, not merely famous

If the world chants your name, it may erode your meaning

If your life is not given, your worth is hidden

Or worse, lost

Martyrdom without purpose is precious blood wasted

Selflessness that saves dwarfs it a million times and more

Let us see the meaning of life as not our pleasure

That leads us to a dead end, a disappointing emptiness

Let us, as our savior did

Bear the burden of letting our will revolve around another

God first, and others too

An inseparable mission at the center of our existence.