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Literature Text
A woman flat in bed, her family must be fed
but she can't do what needs to be done
She's been there a while, can't manage a smile
As she looks at the days yet to come.
Friends bring some meals, in quietly steals
A sense God is still on the throne
Friends show God's love from heaven above
And she sees she's not alone
She has a debt of joy she cannot repay
Engraved on her heart, it cannot go away.
The debt cannot be paid; the harder we try
Our debt of joy will just multiply.
A suffering child, a mother mild
Grieves that she can't ease his pain.
He cries on her lap, she's ready to snap
As they head for the doctors again
Friends meet her there, her burden they share,
Soothing her tormented heart
It's not what they say, it's just that they stay
And demonstrate God's loving heart.
She has a debt of joy she cannot repay
Engraved on her heart, it cannot go away.
The debt cannot be paid; the harder we try
Our debt of joy will just multiply.
Coming out of our pain, we see it again
This time in the eyes of another.
We know how it feels when in gently steals
hope, from a sister or brother.
We've known God's care, from a full heart we share
Now giving the joy we received
It does not decrease, but can only increase
More than we'd ever believed
We have a debt of joy we cannot repay
Engraved on our hearts, it cannot go away.
The debt cannot be paid; the harder we try
Our debt of joy will just multiply.
by Liz Hupp © 1995
but she can't do what needs to be done
She's been there a while, can't manage a smile
As she looks at the days yet to come.
Friends bring some meals, in quietly steals
A sense God is still on the throne
Friends show God's love from heaven above
And she sees she's not alone
She has a debt of joy she cannot repay
Engraved on her heart, it cannot go away.
The debt cannot be paid; the harder we try
Our debt of joy will just multiply.
A suffering child, a mother mild
Grieves that she can't ease his pain.
He cries on her lap, she's ready to snap
As they head for the doctors again
Friends meet her there, her burden they share,
Soothing her tormented heart
It's not what they say, it's just that they stay
And demonstrate God's loving heart.
She has a debt of joy she cannot repay
Engraved on her heart, it cannot go away.
The debt cannot be paid; the harder we try
Our debt of joy will just multiply.
Coming out of our pain, we see it again
This time in the eyes of another.
We know how it feels when in gently steals
hope, from a sister or brother.
We've known God's care, from a full heart we share
Now giving the joy we received
It does not decrease, but can only increase
More than we'd ever believed
We have a debt of joy we cannot repay
Engraved on our hearts, it cannot go away.
The debt cannot be paid; the harder we try
Our debt of joy will just multiply.
by Liz Hupp © 1995
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I spent 10 weeks on total bedrest after going into premature labor with twins. I had so many people help me out, and I felt I had no way I could repay the debt I felt. I could write thank you notes or send a gift, but that somehow felt like it was trivializing the generous gift of help these friends had offered. Then someone else had a child go into the hospital, and I brought a meal out of the gratefulness of having others do the same for me. It gave me a deep joy to "repay" the "debt" this way. This poem is my attempt to express that gratefulness and the joy of passing the gift on to another.
© 2005 - 2024 InTheQuiet
Comments4
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"A suffering child, a mother mild
Grieves that she can't ease his pain."
These lines really stuck out at me, though I don't think it's from some personal reflection.
Though I will never experience childbirth, (from the mother's view, anyhow,) I've been around for more than a few births in my short life, and I can attest to the willingness and helpfulness that friends can bring to an experience as amazing and scary as that! (With twins, especially!)
Grieves that she can't ease his pain."
These lines really stuck out at me, though I don't think it's from some personal reflection.
Though I will never experience childbirth, (from the mother's view, anyhow,) I've been around for more than a few births in my short life, and I can attest to the willingness and helpfulness that friends can bring to an experience as amazing and scary as that! (With twins, especially!)