Doctor, Farmer, Potter, Judge

a poem about metaphors for God

Photo by Jenna S on Unsplash

Painted pictures large as life
To see our God in different lights.
Roles dispersed across the earth,
Drawing up the eye at birth
To Him who is all we might seek
Fulfilling every role we need.

Doctor,¹ Farmer,² Potter,³ Judge,⁴

Gardener,⁵ Shepherd,⁶ Author,⁷ King,⁸

Counselor,⁹ Servant,¹⁰ Warrior,¹¹ Nurse,¹²

Teacher,¹³ Guardian,¹⁴ Housewife,¹⁵ Cook,¹⁶

Waitress,¹⁷ Keeper,¹⁸ Midwife,¹⁹ Fisher,²⁰

Landlord,²¹ Seamstress,²² Carver,²³ Aide,²⁴

Spokesman,²⁵ Dresser,²⁶ Rancher,²⁷ Sage,²⁸

Launderer,²⁹ Caregiver,³⁰ Criminal,³¹ Slave.³²

Never changing but for aye employed
In different tasks for us on earth
who find our souls poked full of holes
in need of filling by endless source.

Father,³³ Mother,³⁴ Sibling,³⁵ Son,³⁶

Lover,³⁷ Friend,³⁸ All to Everyone.³⁹

The Kinsmen we crave in every stage 
Attends our calls as we grow and age. 
Shaping, forming, birthing, feeding, 
Serving, watching, cleaning, clothing,

Guarding, teaching, leading, healing, 
Finding, loving, freeing, keeping. 
Like palette paints that color pictures
He uses roles to sketch his character.

But we, enthralled with owning games,
Miss the action absorbed in names.
And, like the Governor Pontius Pilot,
Assume in symbols our verdicts make.

"They call you king," that ruler said.
His fleshly heart was hampering thought.
Governor, he was; govern, he did not.
For doing is being, in the Kingdom of God,

All things to all men as He was to us.
To whoever asks, like Father God give.
Be the example that the Son of Man lived.
Work together as one Spirit akin.
Love and honor all as if they were Him.

1. Luke 4:23

2. Matthew 13:3

3. Isaiah 29:16

4. Revelation 6:10

5. John 15:5

6. Psalm 23:1

7. Acts 3:15

8. Matthew 21:5

9. Psalm 16:7

10. Zachariah 3:8

11. Isaiah 59:17 & Zachariah 9:13

12. Isaiah 66:12-13

13. Job 36:22

14. Psalm 121:8

15. John 14:2 — by housewife, I mean one who makes up the home as a place to live. Homemaker also works here but would’ve made the wording clunky.

16. Psalms 23:5 — God prepares a table for David.

17. Matthew 26:26

18. Psalm 121:8 — A babysitter watches someone’s comings and goings, but “keeper” sounds more poetic.

19. 1 Peter 1:3 — God is described as “causing us to be born again,” which could mean God birthed us like a mother or helped in the birthing like a midwife.

20. Matthew 13:47-48

21. Matthew 20:1

22. Genesis 4:21 — God made Adam and Eve clothes out of animal skins.

23. Revelations 2:17 — Carver of stone or engraver also would fit here.

24. John 14:16

25. 1 John 2:1

26. Ezekiel 16:10-12 God describes how he clothes Israel once she reached maturity

27. Psalm 50:10

28. Daniel 7:9 — God has white hair and is called the Ancient of Days

29. Isaiah 1:18 — He washes our garments.

30. John 13:5 — Caregiver is a modern word for one who bathes another.

31. Isaiah 53:4

32. Ephesians 5:26 — The washing of others was the work of slaves and women.

33. Matthew 6:9

34. Matthew 23:37 or Hebrews 2:13

35. Matthew 12:50

36. Isaiah 62:5

37. Deuteronomy 33:12 & Luke 2:49

38. John 15:14

39. Revelation 21:6

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