Ode to Blessed Assurance

I felt the ache in my head,
The cranial vessels’ pulsing beat,
My restless, trembling legs in bed,
The tingling in the soles of my feet.

I felt the weight in my chest,
A dull pain, a persistent throbbing.
I felt the fatigue that comes without rest,
My eyelids heavy, my head nodding.

I felt the fire in my heart,
The caustic acids that stain and burn.
I felt the words that scar and smart;
My eyes water, and my stomach turns.

My doctor, in his compassion and skills,
Pondered my symptoms, noted the signs,
And after diagnosing, he prescribed my pills.
Blessed assurance!  I knew I’d be fine.

I still feel the dull pain in my head,
The cold voices saying I’m not good enough,
The loss of vigor on a path long tread
When the going’s rough, and rough’s too much.

I still feel the weight in my chest,
A silent anguish, a dire longing.
I still feel weary always giving my best
And yet never really fully belonging.

I still feel the flames in my heart,
Kindled by wounds, emotional yet real,
Searing every broken part,
Telling me who to love, how to feel.

Though often physically expressed,
Emotional hurts, silently endured,
Are least likely vocally confessed 
And more often spiritually cured.

Those whom faith makes reticent
Peer into the body just fine.
Science is their medicine.
Blessed assurance!  My God is mine.

For power’s not only in the doctor’s hands
But also in the Master Healer’s touch,
As I’m the one whom He fully understands.
Blessed assurance!  His grace is enough.  

Ed Meyer, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences.