longing

i don’t always feel its pull
the tug at my heart that says
‘what if all this one day were yours?’
what if that day never comes?
i have learned through my life
that my empty hands are neither
a curse nor a definition, but a gift …
still, in this season of celebration
the longing somehow intensifies
and the enduring badge of plus-none
hangs heavy on my sleeve.
yet, every greatness in any
good man i’ve ever known
has only been an echo of the Heart
that has always known and loved
me in spite of every unlovely thing
i’ve ever been. and He, too
knows what it is to wait the coming day.
o Jesus, truest Lover of my soul
may all my deepest longings
find their rest in You.