What My Soul Already Knew

As I was walking through a relational conflict last year, I learned about a type of poem that can be used as a scaffold for lament. The French Pantoum has a repetitive format that invited me to pour my heart out onto the page in this prayer:

My heart feels full to overflowing; my body is at rest.
To hold boundaries that honor the Imago Dei in myself and the other.
Child, you are loved as you are...I’m in you and you’re in me.
There’s a settling-in, a confidence that I have what I need.

To hold boundaries that honor the Imago Dei in myself and the other.
“To tell the story of who I am with my whole heart,” my favorite definition of courage.*
There’s a settling-in, a confidence that I have what I need.
There’s no formula. No charted path. You must listen to God within you.

“To tell the story of who I am with my whole heart,” my favorite definition of courage.
Child, you are loved as you are...I’m in you and you’re in me.
There’s no formula. No charted path. You must listen to God within you.
My heart feels full to overflowing; my body is at rest.

*A definition of courage from Brene Brown.

There was something powerful in naming these things. Naming them helped me discern some particulars in that moment. Reading this felt like me speaking wisdom to myself. There's something in this medium that is simple and grounding. It helped me access things I already knew in a way that somehow I wasn't thinking about logically in the stress of the conflict.

You can listen to this podcast episode to hear more about the French Pantoum with Tara Owens of Anam Cara Ministries on the Potter’s Inn Podcast. Want to give it a try? You will find downloadable instructions in the show notes.

Would you like some company or gentle guidance as you listen for wisdom and explore new ways of engaging with your soul? Kirsten offers spacious accompaniment and trauma-informed spiritual direction. I’d love to hear what’s stirring in you and meet with you for a free exploration session.