The Joy in the Lesson

 

I came to the lesson hungry and worn,

Carrying burdens since the morning was born.

Then a few simple words touched deep in my chest,

And suddenly my heart would not let me rest.

The friends sat together, each seeking the same,

Not honor, not knowledge, not fortune or fame.

Just one tiny opening, one crack in the wall,

To hear the Creator's voice quietly call.

I asked, "Is it wrong that I love this so much?

The warmth of the lesson, the friends and their touch?"

The answer came softly, "The joy is not wrong—

Just learn where it leads and help others along."

For sometimes the lesson feels empty and dry,

The words lose their flavor, the spirit won't fly.

Then lift up a prayer and honestly say,

"Creator, why hide all the sweetness today?"

And if one friend sits there with no joy to find,

Then all of us carry his burden in mind.

For no one walks lonely, no soul stands apart,

We pray for his light with one unified heart.

The lesson brings one kind of pleasure and grace,

Dissemination another—a different embrace.

One fills up the vessel, one pours it abroad,

Both leading a person a little closer to God.

So drink from the lesson like bread at a meal,

Let every good moment become something real.

Then carry that joy to the friends on the way,

And watch how it grows with each passing day.

https://suno.com/song/fd453c6e-1fa3-4c48-89bf-1e3e9adb6e11

The Donkey I Thought I Saw

I looked at a friend one morning,

And a donkey was all I could see.

His stubborn ways,

His rough edges,

Everything that bothered me.

I carried those thoughts through the day,

Like stones inside a sack.

Each step grew heavier,

Each prayer grew weaker,

And the light would not come back.

Then a whisper rose within me:

"Why are you counting flaws?

Did you come to judge My children,

Or to draw yourself toward the Cause?"

So I looked again at the friend.

This time I searched for his aim.

Past all the noise,

Past all the habits,

And found a spark of flame.

I saw him fighting for connection.

I saw him rise after every fall.

I saw his heart reaching upward,

Though I had never seen it at all.

Then something changed between us.

The distance began to depart.

The faults that seemed so massive

Could no longer fill my heart.

For the Creator hides in the connection,

Not in what separates me and you.

And when I prayed for my friend to find Him,

I found that He was there too.

Now when I see a friend's donkey,

I leave it standing by the road.

And look instead toward his yearning,

Toward the place where he carries the load.

For greatness builds the vessel.

Deficiency tears it apart.

And the Creator is revealed

Where friends make room in the heart.