Back in the mid-1980s, I came across an amazing little free-verse poem by Ruth Harms Calkin. I typed it and taped it on the wall above my AT&T MS-DOS computer (2 floppy drives, no hard disk). Back then, I was editor of my denomination’s magazine, a position which gave me quite a bit of visibility. People knew me. Because of a popular monthly humor column I wrote (disguised as an editorial), people often told me they had been wanting to meet me. Imagine that.

The AT&T was, blessedly, supplanted by a Mac II (still two floppies, but with an enormous 20 megabyte hard drive), but the poem remained in place. In fact, it hung on that wall until 1993, when I moved to a different office.

At that point, the poem found its way into a “keepsake” box. That’s where I rediscovered it a few months ago. It was originally typed on an IBM Correcting Selectric typewriter, which makes me wonder if it actually predates the AT&T. It’s still a wonderful poem, goading me on issues of humility and faithfulness.

So here it is. Enjoy, and be thought-provoked.

I Wonder

You know, Lord, how I serve You
With great emotional fervor
in the limelight
You know how eagerly I speak for You
at a women’s club.
You know how I shine when I promote
a fellowship group.
You know my genuine enthusiasm
at a Bible study.

But how would I react, I wonder,
If You pointed to a basin of water
And asked me to wash the calloused feet
Of a bent and wrinkled old woman,
Day after day,
Month after month,
In a room where nobody saw
And nobody knew.

–Ruth Harms Calkin