Holy Sonnet XIV

Batter my heart, three-person'd God; for you
As yet but knock; breathe, shine, & seek to mend;
That I may rise, & stand, o'erthrow me, & bend
Your force, to break, blow, burn, & make me new.
I, like an usurp'd town, to another due,
Labour to admit you, but O, to no end.
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captived, & proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, & would be loved fain,
But am betroth'd unto your enemy.
Divorce me, untie, or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.
(Holy Sonnet XIV by John Donne)


let your mind wander & read this sonnet over & over again. i think it is amazing.
i was battling with god this morning & was telling him to break my chains & i remembered this sonnet from school so i looked it up. & man, i absolutely love it. the power of god's force hitting your life is wordless. "Yet dearly I love you, & would be loved fain, But am betroth'd unto your enemy" -i mean, do we live like this or what? i do. but that is not who i really am. i am an oak of righteousness displaying god's splendor. but i fight this so often. so often i believe that i am held captive by the enemy so i live like that. but that's not true!! the enemy is not stronger than my god & my god is on my side & has given me freedom & has given me beauty so i am not bound.
I think my favorite lines are the last 2: "I, Except you enthrall me, never shall be free, Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me. " i think that it is similar to dying to self, but it is more striking. it's a wild concept, but that's god for ya.
so think about this sonnet & have a glorious day :-)