Having spent over half of my life connected to the world of sports in some form or fashion, I’ve heard and probably used the phrase Poetry in Motion more than a few times; undoubtedly describing the artful moves of an athlete who takes a difficult skill and gracefully makes it appear easy to accomplish. Most people probably visualize the comment associated with performers on a stage such as a dancer or acrobat. In both of these scenarios, the definition we conjure in our minds is likely to be akin to “someone or something that moves in a way that is very graceful or beautiful. He is Poetry in Motion when he catches the ball.”
Asking you to think outside the box when considering this idiom, what if you imagined unlikely places to witness Poetry in Motion such as with a special forces’ military or law enforcement group. Being awed by a single person successfully maneuvering a difficult task is one thing, but a team accomplishing this precision, often without even the use of words? That’s a whole different level! “The SEAL community has a saying that each team member has to be able to ‘shoot, move, and communicate.’ Being able to shoot means having the tactical skills needed to fire your gun safely and effectively. Moving refers to how you work as a team and how effectively and tactically you move around the battlefield. Communicating is all about speaking clearly and effectively so your teammates know what you’re doing. After years working so closely together, we could move and react almost seamlessly in a combat situation,” shares Mark Owen in his book entitled No Hero. For me, that demonstrates perfectly Poetry in Motion.
When I behold people who have Found Their Flame and engage in their God-designed dreams—Poetry in Motion. It doesn’t matter if I’m sitting in the air-conditioned comfort of my oversized blue chair watching through the front window as the landscaping guy perfectly edges the driveway across the street or if I’m standing in the parking lot of AutoZone while being provided excellent customer service by Eric as he speedily changes the wiper blades on my Jeep—Poetry in Motion. Now, stay with me here as I proceed to take this concept a step further, do you consider yourself to be walking poetry as you perform the calling God has placed on you?
Twice recently within the span of a few days, a passage in Scripture from the New Testament appeared in my reading from two different sources. First, in Emily Freeman’s A Million Little Ways and then again in Recovering Redemption, both focusing on the Greek word poiema. Freeman shares, “In Ephesians 2, we are a masterpiece made to do good things…These English words used in the text—masterpiece, sometimes translated workmanship—these are translations of the original word used in the letter to the church at Ephesus, the Greek word poiema. Our English word poem comes from this same Greek word. Workmanship, masterpiece, poem—all these words in Scripture are used to describe God’s work—you and me.”
Admittedly, this resonated in a very peculiar way—am I a poem? Am I, this totally non-athletic person, capable of Poetry in Motion? Freeman shares, “God calls you his workmanship, his poiema…We are walking poetry, the kind that moves, the kind who has hands and feet, the kind with mind and will and emotion. We are what happens when God expresses himself. If we are made the poem of God, then what is the job he gave us to do?” Is it to be an athlete? A roadworker? A landscaper? A SEAL team member?
“When a poet writes a poem, he isn’t writing a technical manual or how-to-booklet. A poet writes to express an inner desire. We see that same idea here in Ephesians 2:10, where it essentially says, You are a poem written inside the person of Jesus Christ. You exist to carry out his inner desire. This is your good work.” What Freeman and so many other wise leaders want us to see is that “Art coming from honest hands shows us beauty, stirs up longing, and touches us deeply.” Your art/calling becomes Poetry in Motion when you embrace your Divine Identity as a poem written by the Great Artist, and He does this in A Million Little Ways.
You may still be discerning what His calling is on your life and what Divine Identity He holds for you, regardless of what that title is, consider allowing yourself to be walking poetry and relish the opportunities He provides. Who, or what profession, would you consider adding to my list above of performing Poetry in Motion? Please consider adding in the comments below.
References:
Owen, M. (2014). No hero: The evolution of a Navy SEAL. [Kindle version]. Penguin Publishing Group.
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I find this phrase interesting as it can be used in so many different ways. Watching someone score a basketball with a sense of finesse can be considered poetry in motion or a golfer who has just the right touch on a chip shot could be considered as, “poetry in motion.” In the sense of God though we are seen as poetry in motion, we put the poetry into motion by showing what He is expressing through us. We may not completely understand what God’s plan is or what his calling for our life is, but we are to relish in the opportunities presented as we are the poetry in motion.
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