At the end of childhood
I would have told you
that the heart of Christianity–
the "Good News," if you will–
was that I belonged to God
no matter what.

I really wasn't worried
about Jesus's having died for sin,
since it really didn't matter to me–
I was secure in God's arms.

Safe in God's arms.

This was a good place to be,
especially when my church rejected me,
and my parents rejected me,
and my culture rejected me.

Still safe in God's arms.

Text and image © 2011 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.