You can drown in shallow water –

but you cannot float.

Oh, shallow water is fine

for splashing on a sunny day,

but when the clouds come,

when darkness comes,

you cannot float,

but you can surely drown.

 

You can drown in shallow religion –

but it will not sustain you.

Oh, shallow religion is fine

for singing on a sunny day,

but when the darkness comes,

when storm clouds gather,

you will not be sustained,

you will surely drown.

 

Shallow religion –

is what the prophets warned of

when the Israelites gave burnt offerings

then left the temple

to cheat widows and the poor. 

 

Shallow religion –

is what we do, 

when we go to church on Sunday

and forget Jesus all week,

and neglect the hungry and the poor.

 

Shallow religion –

is when you read the Bible

on the surface,

you may even memorize passages,

but never study its depths.

 

But genuine faith?

That is very different.

Faith questions and doubts and grows,

and in learning goes deeper.

Faith studies and hopes and loves,

and seeing God in every stranger,

faith gets deeper.

Faith will give you strength

through the storms –

in faith – like in the Dead Sea –

you can surely float. 

Joyce Alexander, 11-20-18