Girl running in dark forest by Matheus Bertellia via Pexels
Who Are You

Please excuse my daughter

Please excuse my daughter.
She hurt herself.
You can’t tell by looking,
Which is why this note is necessary.
The hurt is on the inside—
Inside the inside—
On her soul.

You know how she is:
Driven, devoted, determined
To a fault.
She heard me calling and started running
Over ancient stones and fallen trees,
Across empty, dark fields.
I kept calling; she kept running.
But she ran a sprint where I called marathon,
A race where I called a journey,
A frenzied, passionate pace burning her from within.
And she fell.
Exhausted and scorched and wordless,
She skidded across the path I’d laid for her,
Down,
Down,
Down.
Something broke as she clawed the ground for purchase.
Something broke as she collapsed at the bottom.
And when she tried to run again,
Her bones were too dry, all strength gone, the fire out.

She was looking where she was going,
But not how.

She’s home now, resting.
Not a mark on her—
On the outside.
But when something is broken, it’s never quite the same again,
Not even in the hands of a master healer;
Not even after the scars have faded.

So, please excuse my daughter today.
You can’t tell by looking, but
She’s learning how to walk again.

Sincerely,
Abba


This post is part of Five-Minute Friday. This week’s prompt is EXCUSE. If you’d like to join in the fun, click here!

16 thoughts on “Please excuse my daughter”

  1. Oh wow, this is powerful. You have a gift! The whole imagery speaks to many of us and our frenetic lifestyles – a good reminder. Thank you! (Karen, FMF #8)

  2. This is beautiful and deep, “She’d been looking where she was going, but not how. So, please excuse my daughter today. You can’t tell by looking, but she’s learning how to walk again.”
    Lisa, FMF #13 Excuse Her

    1. Yes, that’s so true! I have to remember this for my own daughter, too. She’s not just in my care, she is first and foremost the daughter of the Most High King, and He will take care of her long after she leaves my home.

  3. I can relate to your post. My daughter hurts on the inside, too. I pray for God to heal her because He claims her as His own child. Thank you for your words; they are powerful and impactful.

    1. I will stand with you on that! Your daughter is His child and He desires for her to be healed. Thank you, Father God, for your great love that transcends our understanding!

Leave a Reply to Ellie Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *