Gone
By Dara Fillmore

She worked herself hard
To live a good life.
She tried her best
To be better than the rest.

She studied hard in school
And tried to obey the Golden Rule.
She said her prayers persistently
And went to her church religiously.

She gave to others what she didn’t need,
And did her best her kids to lead.
She often quilted and she sewed.
She purposed to lighten another one’s load.

She saved every penny and nickel and dime,
And tried her whole life to fill up her time.
She was always so fearful, although she did try,
Lest she not be good enough any moment to die.

Money she gave away;
Friends she invited to stay.
Food she cooked for those with less.
She oft times gave out shoes or dress.

She always tried to cuddle her kids.
All three were to stand as her witnesses
That she had achieved her highest goal
And never in her life tried to hurt a soul.

She taught her kids lessons
In many different sessions,
And taught them wrong from the right
And to never pick a fight.

Then she grew older and weak
And off went life’s timer with a beep.
The Lord called her to fly
And her life went flashing by.

She heard Him say, “I never knew you.
“If you had asked, I would’ve made you new
When I stretched out my hands and died.”
She reached out for Him and cried.

She tried to explain all the things that she’d done,
That in her own eyes she was second to none,
To show Him she’d earned a place in His house.
She felt He was trying to just keep her out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But every good deed,
Though she stayed far from strife,
Never did succeed
To win eternal life.

But she had lacked understanding.
Her only chance
She had resorted to working,
Instead of to glance

At the Book that was written
For her to read through;
To show her truly guilt-ridden,
But to show her grace, too,

That simply faith in Christ alone --
And nothing she had done to be worthy --
Would make her a space right under His throne,
And He could truly show her His mercy

Yet, after all that He’d been through,
And all that He’d done,
She’d told Him she’d earned Heaven
And spurned the Lord’s Son.

This she now understood,
While she shouted and tried
To grasp for His sandal
And make Him revise.

But, then she lay silent,
And when she looked round
She wailed in pure terror
For Jesus was gone.
~~

“But I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing.”
-- Galatians 2:21