My essay "A Christmas Wreath from George Herbert" is up today on Humane Pursuits.

George Herbert's "Wreath" has been my prayer lately:

A wreathèd garland of deservèd praise,
Of praise deservèd, unto Thee I give,
I give to Thee, who knowest all my ways,
My crooked winding ways, wherein I live,—
Wherein I die, not live; for life is straight,
Straight as a line, and ever tends to Thee,
To Thee, who art more far above deceit,
Than deceit seems above simplicity.
Give me simplicity, that I may live,
So live and like, that I may know Thy ways,
Know them and practice them: then shall I give
For this poor wreath, give Thee a crown of praise.

I need these weeks of Advent. I need the chance to stop, to disconnect from social media and other habits, to re-simplify my life, and to re-focus on Jesus.

I long for the simplicity of resting in His arms without distraction. That's what Advent is about--focusing completely on Him. This season I long for simplicity.

A wreathèd garland of deservèd praise,
Of praise deservèd, unto Thee I give,
I give to Thee, who knowest all my ways,
My crooked winding ways, wherein I live,—
Wherein I die, not live; for life is straight,
Straight as a line, and ever tends to Thee,
To Thee, who art more far above deceit,
Than deceit seems above simplicity.
Give me simplicity, that I may live,
So live and like, that I may know Thy ways,
Know them and practice them: then shall I give
For this poor wreath, give Thee a crown of praise.

--George Herbert, "A Wreath"

Today my British Literature class and I enjoyed George Herbert's poem "A Wreath." This poem is a wonderful prayer, and its design is simply marvelous. The wording of each line refers to the line previous, so that each line intertwines with the lines before and after. Even the last line intertwines with the first, creating a circular structure--like a wreath. Here it is.

A wreathèd garland of deservèd praise,
Of praise deservèd, unto Thee I give,
I give to Thee, who knowest all my ways,
My crooked winding ways, wherein I live,—
Wherein I die, not live; for life is straight,
Straight as a line, and ever tends to Thee,
To Thee, who art more far above deceit,
Than deceit seems above simplicity.
Give me simplicity, that I may live,
So live and like, that I may know Thy ways,
Know them and practise them: then shall I give
For this poor wreath, give Thee a crown of praise.