Not Naked Enough

 
Not naked enough  
not naked enough  [i] 
I try to shed  
treasures, pleasures  
and plans laid by  [ii]
until a small thread  
can fit the needle’s eye  [iii]
and a path narrow and straight  
can pass through Heaven’s gate  [iv]
 
I may be clothed enough 
I may be pleased enough 
because Your will   
Your voice, my choice, 
has filled my needs.  
and while I’m wondering still...   
your plan succeeds!  [v]
How can the rich find entry  
unless it’s  –  Providently?  
 
Oh, we bring camels-full of happiness 
to pass that needle’s eye  
we, your Pearl of price  [vi]
you found and kept aside….     
 
 There is abundance in the heap  
of folly we possess  
we lay baubles at your feet  
and wear our Nakedness  
 
(1990s) 


[i]   Job 1: 21,  Job says –  “Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I go back there.  The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!” 

[ii]   Luke 14: 33,  Jesus says  – “In the same way, every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”  

[iii]   Matthew 19: 22-24  –   
“When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.  Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’  ”

[iv]    Luke 13: 23-24  – 
“Someone asked him, ‘Lord, will only a few people be saved?’  He answered them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.’  ”

[v]   Matthew 19: 25-26:  – 
“When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, ‘Who then can be saved?’
Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.’  ”   

Matthew 13: 45–46,  Jesus tells the parable of “The Pearl of Great Price” (here, Reader, please reverse the ordinary meaning, to see ourselves from God’s point of view)  –
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a Merchant searching for fine pearls.  When he finds a Pearl of Great Price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”