We’ve been looking at 1 Peter 2:21, and seeing that we should follow in Jesus’s (sometimes suffering) steps. Here’s a devotional poem from Christ-following former widow Rena Himick seeing the same. It’s called “He Remains.”

Sitting in my old chair,
flipping through the pages
of my past,
I see
the fingerprints of Jesus
on each page.

For whole chapters,
I’m astray —
yet He brought me back.
When friends came and went,
when there was sorrow
and unspeakable pain,
and all was lost,
He remained.

Each chapter in my book
has stains of tears
and memory marks.
Heartbreak,
heartthrob,
each in turn —
yet always His plan for me,
His lessons learned.

Dripping onto each new page,
the Savior’s grace
has covered me.
Taught life,
my soul springs up
with shouts of praise,
love for Him
all my days!

Devotional poem © 2016 Rena Himick. Used with permission.

The Apostles taught, “Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps” — 1 Peter 2:21

Before we know who Jesus is,
we believe in beautiful lies —
pleasure and comfort,
position and wealth,
sing lullabies of happiness.
Sirens all, they sing
of how they’ll make us happy,
until they wreck us on the rocks
and watch us drown.

If we escape the siren songs,
then religion plays the liar,
beguiling us, melodically,
methodically, to fall
in love with Christianity,
instead of loving Christ.
Notes, plucked from strings
of our self-righteous pride,
lift up ritual and knowledge,
then shove Jesus to the side.

Jesus, save us
from such seductive lies —
tie us tightly to your cross,
so we safely sail past sirens;
lash our lives to your example,
so we follow in your steps.
At the cross and in your steps,
Jesus, we are seeking more,
finding more, yielding more to you.

Devotional poem © 2016 Michael Himick. Used with permission.