The Kingdom

Today’s a new day! I want to share a poem I wrote a few years ago. It’s entitled “The Kingdom.” ~OC

They can empty my pockets,
strip the paint from my name,
close doors in my face
and leave me standing in the cold of rejection.

They can take the title,
the comfort,
the applause of crowds
that fade like smoke in the wind.

They can break my body with sickness,
bury my dreams beneath ashes,
and tell me I am forgotten.

But there is one thing
this world will never touch.

It cannot steal the crown
prepared by nail-scarred hands.
It cannot silence the promise
spoken by the risen King.
It cannot chain eternity,
cannot lock Heaven’s gates,
cannot erase my name
written in the Book of Life.

For my treasure is not built
from the dust of this earth.
My hope is not hanging
on the fragile thread of tomorrow.
My inheritance is guarded
beyond the reach of thieves,
beyond the power of kingdoms,
beyond the grave itself.

So let the storms come.
Let mountains crumble
and fortunes disappear.
Let the world take all it can carry.

Because when the final shadow falls,
I will still stand redeemed,
still held by mercy,
still clothed in grace.

The world may take everything from me,
but it cannot take away
the Kingdom of Heaven from me.