What moved me most was the way you quietly reversed the Cinderella story.
In the familiar tale, the clock strikes and everything beautiful disappears. The gown is gone. The carriage returns to what it was. Cinderella is exposed once again in the condition she believed she had briefly escaped.
But in your poem, the clock strikes and grace remains:
“The clock has struck, but no turning back
We are dressed in His grace…”
That feels like the heart of what you are showing us. Grace is not a temporary garment God lends us until our weakness, sorrow, or shame becomes visible again. It does not disappear at midnight. It is not undone by what others say, by what our eyes have witnessed, or even by the accusations of our own hearts.
I was also deeply moved by the longing running through the poem to be seen beneath the “layered debris”…for our melodies to be received and our heartbeats held. The answer offered here is more than forgiveness. It is the voice of God saying, “I gaze, I hear, I validate…and I love you, just because.”
Perhaps that is what makes grace so difficult to receive. We are accustomed to love that changes when the clock strikes. Your poem reminds us that His does not.
Thank you Kevin for sitting in this and your thoughts around the poem. I appreciate your feedback so very much! Yes . . . His grace . . . we sometimes think it gets removed “when the clock strikes” BUT IT DOES NOT!!! Lord, help us receive your grace ALWAYS and like Paul said, in a round about way, to not to move from grace! Amen to amen.
Amen to amen, my friend. “Do not move from grace”...that is the invitation, isn’t it? Not merely to believe that grace exists, but to remain there when the clock strikes...when we fail, when shame speaks, when circumstances change, and when we feel least deserving of it.
Perhaps we do not lose grace so much as lose our awareness of where we are standing. We begin reaching again for performance, explanation, or self-punishment, while grace remains exactly where it has always been.
Your poem gave such a beautiful image to that truth. The garment does not disappear. We are still clothed. Lord, help us receive what You refuse to withdraw. Thank you for this, Ashley.
YES YES YES! Grace NEVER MOVES!!!! Yes, we can loose awareness…. Jesus, help us to not loose awareness. To not fall into shame, guilt, perfectionism, whatever it is . . . . just to stay wrapped in your blanket of grace!! YES AND AMEN! Good words Kevin, you brought even more clarity to what I was saying!
This is so incredibly sweet!💛🙏🏾
Ahhh THANK YOU Teighlor! I appreciate you reading this and commenting! Means a lot ♥️
The King of kings arises
He wraps us with a gown or suit of grace
Take a deep breath and embrace
I see you in the layered debris
Longing for someone to see.
this piece of the poem stuck out to me the most. “I see you in the layered debris, Longing for someone to see”
- wow this part hits a little harder.
thank you for writing this piece ♥️
Ahhh thank you for reading it Caiden and your feedback. Yes, I love that one liner too🦢
Ashley,
What moved me most was the way you quietly reversed the Cinderella story.
In the familiar tale, the clock strikes and everything beautiful disappears. The gown is gone. The carriage returns to what it was. Cinderella is exposed once again in the condition she believed she had briefly escaped.
But in your poem, the clock strikes and grace remains:
“The clock has struck, but no turning back
We are dressed in His grace…”
That feels like the heart of what you are showing us. Grace is not a temporary garment God lends us until our weakness, sorrow, or shame becomes visible again. It does not disappear at midnight. It is not undone by what others say, by what our eyes have witnessed, or even by the accusations of our own hearts.
I was also deeply moved by the longing running through the poem to be seen beneath the “layered debris”…for our melodies to be received and our heartbeats held. The answer offered here is more than forgiveness. It is the voice of God saying, “I gaze, I hear, I validate…and I love you, just because.”
Perhaps that is what makes grace so difficult to receive. We are accustomed to love that changes when the clock strikes. Your poem reminds us that His does not.
This is beautiful, my friend.
Thank you Kevin for sitting in this and your thoughts around the poem. I appreciate your feedback so very much! Yes . . . His grace . . . we sometimes think it gets removed “when the clock strikes” BUT IT DOES NOT!!! Lord, help us receive your grace ALWAYS and like Paul said, in a round about way, to not to move from grace! Amen to amen.
Amen to amen, my friend. “Do not move from grace”...that is the invitation, isn’t it? Not merely to believe that grace exists, but to remain there when the clock strikes...when we fail, when shame speaks, when circumstances change, and when we feel least deserving of it.
Perhaps we do not lose grace so much as lose our awareness of where we are standing. We begin reaching again for performance, explanation, or self-punishment, while grace remains exactly where it has always been.
Your poem gave such a beautiful image to that truth. The garment does not disappear. We are still clothed. Lord, help us receive what You refuse to withdraw. Thank you for this, Ashley.
YES YES YES! Grace NEVER MOVES!!!! Yes, we can loose awareness…. Jesus, help us to not loose awareness. To not fall into shame, guilt, perfectionism, whatever it is . . . . just to stay wrapped in your blanket of grace!! YES AND AMEN! Good words Kevin, you brought even more clarity to what I was saying!