“I Bless Them All”

“Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light” (Micah 7:8).

I bless the enemies who buried me.
I bless their toil and efficiency
in driving me down and out
of what I thought was mine—
who made me find strength within myself
I didn’t think I’d find.

I bless the critics who said I couldn’t,
shouldn’t, and wouldn’t.
I bless those who cuffed me to the soil
with their crooked works,
who plotted around the clock
to give me their darkness—
and who made me find the Hero
of my own life,
like I never had before—
when I was left alone and battered
to find Him-
and only Him.

I bless the jaded ones among us
who never did believe me—
who said I wasn’t who I was,
who said I wasn’t sick or grieved.
I bless them all
and their gossiping tongues
for stripping me of my fear of man
and plunging me into the dirt
with nothing to sow but my faith and words.

And, oh it hurt like Hell burns!
But I survived!

Because I blessed my God, the Gardner,
who made me a seed—
who let them bury me,
who let me break apart
in the dark humus of aftermath.
Who let my roots shoot and grow down deep
into something new
I could not conceive.
who let me bloom—
who let me become something more
than I could be
on my own
or even dream.

So, I bless this quiet—
this silent, safe space I have found myself in,
healing and growing and living, again.

Oh seed!
Oh, suspended life!
Oh, me!

They have gone now.
And you are safe to grow.

Adapted from Exalted Ground: Poems of Praise & Lament for the Living by Kimberly Phinney © 2025 The Way Back Books. Used with permission.

For deeper reflection, listen to Micah 7 today!

Be Soothed By Kimberly’s Story on her STORY Podcast!