God has a distance ripe for growth
not too far, nor too close.
Just as the earth hangs in space
at a circling orbit to sustain life,
so God keeps us sometimes at arm’s length
as he teaches us to walk on our own.
Not devoid of His support,
but as a parent who beckons
from the far side of a room,
so God grows us
by the space between.
Not too close to stifle,
nor too far that we’re alone.
But at a measure of separation
that we are both empowered and protected.
As a planet might spin in perfect balance,
or a child span the width of a room.
Ana Lisa de Jong
Living Tree Poetry
November 2018
