Obedience
If you’re told to do a thing,
And mean to do it really;
Never let it be by halves;
Do it fully, freely!
Do not make a poor excuse,
Waiting, weak, unsteady;
All obedience worth the name,
Must be prompt and ready.
—Phoebe Cary.
Love Is Enough
Love is enough. Let us not seek for gold.
Wealth breeds false aims, and pride and selfishness;
In those serene, Arcadian days of old,
Men gave no thought to princely style and dress.
The gods who dwelt in fair Olympia’s height
Lived only for dear love and love’s delight;
Love is enough.
Love is enough. Why should we care for fame?
Ambition is a most unpleasant guest:
It lures us with the glory of a name
Far from the happy haunts of peace and rest.
Let us stay here in this secluded place,
Made beautiful by love’s enduring grace;
Love is enough.
Love is enough. Why should we strive for power?
It brings men only envy and distrust;
The poor world’s homage pleases but an hour,
And earthly honors vanish in the dust.
The grandest lives are ofttimes desolate;
Let me be loved, and let who will be great;
Love is enough.
Love is enough. Why should we ask for more?
What greater gift has God vouchsafed to men?
What better boon of all His precious store
Than our fond hearts that love and love again?
Old love may die; new love is just as sweet;
And life is fair, and all the world complete;
Love is enough.
—Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
Alternate Reading: John 3:1-15.