Dear Reader,

In a world filled with wolves, illusions, and weary hearts, our Lord Jesus Christ calls His sheep to walk a narrow and beautiful path: to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16). This poem is an invitation to dwell in that tension—to live with eyes wide open to sin, sorrow, and brokenness, yet never grow cynical or hardened; to see reality clearly without losing the tenderness of mercy, the warmth of grace, or the steadfastness of love.

It is written for the Christian who longs to behold the world as it truly is—thorns and all—while remaining anchored in the wounds of the Lamb. May these lines stir your heart to clearer sight, deeper compassion, and firmer hope in the One whose blood both washes our eyes and keeps our hearts soft.

May you find refuge in Christ, who perfectly balances justice and mercy, truth and love.

Grace and peace to you in our Lord Jesus Christ,

Matthew 10:16

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

In mercy’s fountain, deep and ever wide,

The weary soul may dwell where grace unmeasured flows;

Love’s holy fire the coldest heart hath tried,

And kindled light where shadowed doubt arose.

Discernment’s lamp, by Spirit’s breath made bright,

Illumes the path no mortal eye could see;

Yet in this dwelling, veilèd not from sight,

One sees the world as it was meant to be.

Not blind to thorn, nor deaf to serpent’s hiss,

Nor rose-tint’d glass o’er broken stone and dust;

The wound of sin, the weight of man’s abyss,

Stand plain beneath the Cross’s holy thrust.

For He who bore the spear and crown of pain

Hath opened eyes that truth might not be slain.

No soft delusion wraps the pilgrim’s breast;

The lion roars, the wolf in sheepskin preys,

Yet mercy bids the soul love the distressed,

And grace equips the faithful for the battle’s blaze.

Discernment draws the line ‘twixt night and day,

While love still weeps and bids the sinner stay.

The tempter’s lie, the tyrant’s iron rod,

The fleeting gold that turns to dust and rust—

All these the clear-eyed pilgrim sees from God,

Yet bows in pity, knowing they are dust.

For sin is real, and sorrow’s cup is deep,

But deeper still the mercy that can keep.

The broken marriage, the corrupted throne,

The church that wanders, lost in pride and show—

These things the heart of love cannot disown,

Nor call the darkness light, nor good the woe.

Yet from the Cross a fountain still is poured,

Where justice, truth, and pardon are restored.

O Christ, Thou Lamb enthroned in endless day,

Within Thy wounds the seeking soul may hide and see aright;

No fear of truth can drive Thy child away,

For in Thy heart both justice dwells and light.

Thus fixed in mercy, grace, and love’s embrace,

The ransomed walk unveiled, beholding Thy true face.

Though storms arise and kingdoms shake and fall,

Though friendship fails and every comfort flees,

The soul that clings unto the Lord of all

Beholds the ruin—and the remedy.

For only eyes washed in the Lamb’s own blood

Can see the horror clear, and still call God good.

Let not the tender heart grow hard with sight,

Nor soft with lies that comfort but deceive;

Discernment guards, while love maintains the fight,

And mercy leads the broken to believe.

In balance held by nail-pierced hands divine,

The Christian lives—both gentle and unblind.

**Amen.**