2020 has been a doozy of a year for almost everyone. We all deal with life differently, and writers, well … we cope by writing. But some of us paint pictures with words, setting feelings and thoughts into a frame of free-flowing phrases. I am definitely not that kind of writer. So let me introduce you to Misty Hedrick, wordsmith. Her poem, titled 2020, tells a story you might find familiar. We hope you spend some time with it.
Some fears
We face
Or they destroy us
Choose fear or faith
Keep it
Or lose all?
Face the question
Head on
Like a bullet
Stare down the barrel
Of a seminary exam
And ask the question
Do I believe?
Or do I lie?
Even asking requires courage
Deconstruct your home
Built on faith
Shred it like an old tax return—
Apostasy, heresy, blasphemy
Tempting, because sometimes it feels easier
To walk away
Than to stay
In the tension
The other option
Embrace truth like morning coffee
Conform to its strained yoga pose, trembling
Dwell content, at peace with not knowing
Wait.
No … wait longer.
Maybe sometimes fear forgets
What hope remembers
Sometimes faith hides
Peeks around the corner.
Count to ten
As sure as mischief’s eyes twinkle
Faith reemerges
Shadows break around a tiny ray
Shaft of sunlit dust floating down
Sneeze
Faith makes only one demand
Surrender

Misty Hedrick is a student of words and theology at Dallas Seminary, and a former real estate executive. She lives in the Smoky Mountains with her husband, a teen, a tween, and a runaway dog. Follow on Instagram or Twitter.