Steady My Gaze

by Mary Folkerts

STEADY MY GAZE

Fear coils around my ankles,

snarling, snaring

stumbling.

Ominous clouds hover;

the heron’s mournful call echoes

through the marshy reeds,

alone!

Alone!

Desperately groping,

floundering, 

faltering,

falling,

hands plunged into the murky

sludge of anxiety—

knees deep in

despair—

God!

Where does my help

come from?

Lead me to the Rock

that is higher 

than I!

Distraction tickles my brain,

ensnaring, enticing 

sedating.

The Ferris wheel spins

in a dizzy haze

under the cotton candy 

clouds;

the elephant’s trumpet reverberates,

more!

More!

And the carny calls 

to “Step right up!

Your next win 

will be the 

big one!”

But rousing 

from the stupor,

I find,

I am no longer

entertained—

smokescreens

paper-thin,

fleeting,

empty—

God!

Where does my help

come from?

Lead me to the Rock

that is higher 

than I!

Fear,

anxiety, 

distraction—

they beguile me;

they shackle my gaze to the 

shadowlands—

But when I come 

to the end

of myself,

and turn my heavy eyes

heavenward—

there!

Like a mighty stalwart, 

Your Holy Hill

beckons me 

come—

rest!

And in the cleft of the 

Rock,

my strivings cease,

for You are my Due North,

steadfast, unmoving,

my refuge and compass,

Your shadow my 

sanctuary.

Why do I forget, 

oh my soul?

Remind me,

stir me—

again and

again—

to lift my eyes

back

to the Rock 

that is higher 

than I.

Teach me to steady

my gaze on You, 

mighty God—

my foundation,

my fortress,

the Rock,

that is higher 

than I!

MARY FOLKERTS

Mary Folkerts is a mom to four grown kids and wife to a farmer, living on the southern prairies of Canada, where the skies are large and the sunsets stunning. Mary writes with a desire to push back the dark, especially for those struggling with anxiety and depression. She is also an advocate for those with Down Syndrome, as her youngest child introduced her family to this extraordinary new world.