I first read Denise Levertov’s poetry while browsing the library at my university. In college, I was asking a lot of philosophical questions, especially about the source of beauty and love, and had the privilege of exploring these in my academic papers. As I discovered the spiritual nature of my search, I was encouraged by Levertov’s illustrations of faith and longing.
In her poem “Flickering Mind,” she wrote:
[…] you the unchanging presence,
in whom all moves and changes.
How can I focus my flickering,
perceive at the fountain’s heart
the sapphire I know is there?
During that time, I had started to share my own poetry drafts in workshops and public readings at school. One of my classmates who was also doing this caught my attention because of the passion and quality of his writing. His decision to operate in his gift was of great influence to me because his faith naturally found places of expression in his work and in our conversations. This was one of the main ways I began to see who Jesus was, and who he was to me personally.
Our Scripture reading this week reminds us that the apostle Paul, who had broad influence as a Jew, Pharisee, and Roman citizen, used all that came with these titles to share the gospel with people who may not have otherwise realized this good news was for them personally. God gave him a gift for speaking and mission, and so Paul used that gift to invite into the family of God those who otherwise may not have realized they were welcomed.
God gives each of us unique kinds of influence in the communities we are a part of day-to-day. Whether we want them to or not, our actions will naturally influence those who work and play alongside us; let’s therefore receive this influence as a gift and opportunity to follow God’s command to love our neighbor as ourselves.