Christmastime four years ago, I was coming through a season of personal grief from the loss of a relationship I had hoped was headed towards marriage. In my eight hour drive to our family gathering place for the holiday, aside from sporadic outbursts of prayers to God over the whole mess, I remember riding mostly in silence (a miracle on my end for anyone who really knows me). Then, while on a dark country road shortly before arriving around 2 A.M., words for a poem came to my heart as I reflected on truly how much I had in my relationship with Christ despite what I had lost in terms of earthly belonging. Once home, I quickly penned down the lines while sitting in the driveway with my seat belt still fastened. This poem came as a sort of gift to me from the Lord, and has cheered my heart over and again in the years since.
The title, “God’s Good Decision,” reflects a Greek word used in the great hymn of Luke 2:14, where the heavenly choir proclaims over the birth of Jesus, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” Here of course, the phrase “among men” refers to mankind, to all who constitute the human race. And the phrase, “with whom He is pleased,” is where I find interest as it translates from the Greek term, “eudokia.” A way of making something “good” or “positive” in the Greek language, is to place a term for “good,” or “eu,” in front of a word. For instance, putting “eu” in front of “logos,” meaning “word” or “speech,” gives us a larger term as we know it in English, "eulogy,” or “good word.” As it goes with “eudokia” then of Luke 2:14, “dokia” has connotations of “perspective/opinion,” “pleasure,” and/or “decision.” With “eu” attached, we find it was God’s “good decision,” to give peace on earth to mankind through Christ. Another appearance of eudokia is in Colossians 1:19 where Paul writes that it was the Father’s “good pleasure” (or “good decision”) for all the fullness of deity to dwell in Christ.
In view of such, it is my pleasure as well to share this small, but hopefully meaningful poem, “God’s Good Decision,” with you this season. May the richness found in the treasure of Jesus far outweigh any earthly burden we carry, and out value any trinket that sits beneath our trees.
“God’s Good Decision”
The fullness of the Deity Swaddled neatly in a trough The same, with skin exposed Later to be held by a cross.
Two instruments, both man made Neither built for holding a King, One was good for holding slop The other for holding thieves.
Yet the Father chose the first To give Peace a place to rest, And the second to make It tangible Bearing witness the crimson mess.
The first our Lord outgrew The second He overpowered, Light and Peace came to man Both times at darkest hours.
God sent His only Son And He saw that it was good, And so it was…God’s good decision.