Before the Foundation

At the age of five my Godly grandmother took me into her home;
      At the age of six one revival night, Jesus claimed me for his own.
I am sixty-four now, as my mind’s eye blinks to all the years;
      I witness many of God’s Finger Prints, through all the laughter and the tears.

Many bad choices have I made, God chose to forget them all;
      When I asked for His forgiveness, He forgave large and small.
When I needed love and encouragement, He was always there for me;
      Even the times I knew I didn’t deserve it, He simply did not agree.


Because He purchased me for His own, I am the “Apple of His Eye;”
      Without any earthly rhyme or reason, I can only wonder why.
Never well liked, nor socially accepted was I, I never seemed to fit;
      The mainstream norms of social conduct, their terrestrial targets I could never hit.


My school yard years were spent ensconced in books;
      My friends were few, I never drew any of the popular “looks.”
Never deemed hip, nor cool, no matter how hard I would try;
      Jesus was my Savior; my peculiar “color” never matched their “dye.”


From high school to work place, found me still looking to God;
      The work-a-day world also noticed I was somewhat odd.
I never felt comfortable talking their talk, nor walking their walk;
      The line God drew for me never matched their “chalk.”


Counting my grandchildren, my lineage now tallies ten;
      The years have passed by so quickly, it bids me wonder when
Did God choose me to decorate His Kingdom; I am but fallible man;
      The answer, according to the Bible, before the foundation of the world began.

Composed by Jim Newnam

Psalm 51:7
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”

The six-pointed Star of David is the symbol of the hyssop blossom. I have adopted the Star of David as an emblem of God’s Goodness and Salvation.