For several years, a poem simmered deep inside me. I can’t remember the exact moment the words entered my consciousness, but I recall repeating them over and over to myself when doing the farm chores and elsewhere.

I shall be young again…I shall be young again...

Becoming a dad is, without a doubt, one of the most life-altering moments for most men. It shifts your perspective of life in many ways.

As one of my church brothers stated in a conversation recently “we live vicariously through our children”.

It’s true.

Through the sensory experiences of the little ones, we are drawn back to our own childhood. We remember the wonder, the enchantment, the imagination, the innocence. And in a small way, we experience it again through them.

And we mourn. Both the scars of our own coming to age, along with the certainty that they too will walk that same old well-worn path out of Eden.

When our third baby was born, I finally took the time and mustered the discipline to wrestle those simmering thoughts to the confines of written word. If it blesses you, feel free to share.

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Young Again

A hopeful lament of a father’s heart

Cradled with tenderness, nourished by love,
Hedged in and protected from below and above.
Unmarred by rejection and oblivious to harm,
He connects with each face– and is instantly charmed.

Barefoot exuberance, lights in her eyes;
Skipping and singing– gasps of surprise.
Frizzled-hair happiness, strawberry-stained cheeks,
Innocent reverie– pure joy when she speaks.

Eye-opening wonderment– There’s a world to explore 
He’s drinking in knowledge and begging for more.
How vast is our galaxy? How deep is the sea?
His pursuit of the universe– unbridled and free.

But the joy that I feel, as each milestone you pass,
Is mingled with sadness– life travels too fast.
For Eden recedes with each calendar page,
And infancy’s innocence dwindles with age.

Into the shadows of self you will creep;
You’ll hide from the Voice, and you’ll curl up and weep.
Then cowering with shame in this old Adam’s world, 
You’ll be driven from paradise by a cherubim sword.

I pray that the wilderness leads you to Him;
That in stumbling and knocking, you’ll find refuge from sin.
That the spark in your soul not succumb to the night,
For the burden He offers is somber– yet light.

This living and dying, as we know it today,
Whispers a future that will take us away
Where the garden stays green, and the connections we’ve had
Will then be much deeper – and infinitely wide.

I shall be young again! Oh, I shall be safe–
Enveloped in Love’s eternal embrace.
I shall be young again– yes, I shall adore
The face of my Savior– I’ll slumber secure. 

I shall be young again, I shall be free;
Running through clover fields – skipping with glee.
Yes, I shall be young again, childhood restored;
My questions all answered in a clean, fresh world.

Let the wave of Redemption swallow up all decay.
May these pangs of corruption give birth to new day!
Deliver creation– as You promised of old.
Let me be young again, Oh– let forever unfold!

– Jared G. Martin
2024 A.D.