The Path We Choose

Why do we always question him

When his word is so clear?

He doesn’t promise easy roads

Just that he’s always near.

 Why do we run the road alone,

When he’d be at our side

If we’d stop running in circles

And let him be our guide.

Why do we choose the darkest paths

When his way is well lit?

Why do we claim pain as our fate

As if that’s all we’ll get?

The path may not be all downhill

But it still leads to him

And I will focus on the light

Even when my life’s grim.

For though the dark may flood my path

I choose to keep my face

Turned to the love he offers me

And to his patient grace.

Psalm 119: 103-104

103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
   sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 I gain understanding from your precepts;
   therefore I hate every wrong path.

The Dawn

There is no glow in the morning

If you don’t light the world.

If not for your hand in the dawn,

The clouds would go unfurled.

The wind won’t toss the misty sea

Upon the waiting land

If you don’t raise it from the depths

By your almighty hand.

Lord, I would never see the light

Or feel the windy spray

If you had not saved me from death

And washed my sins away;

For it is only by your grace

That I stand in dawn’s light,

The faith that brought me to this dawn

Secured me through the night.

Ephesians 2:8-9  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Psalm 74:17

I noticed, in the still morning,

The song birds have all gone.

The clouds hang thick with icy mist

And skirt the silent dawn.

The season of the dark begins,

The day slips quickly by,

And though it hasn’t gone quite yet

The warmth will leave the sky.

 Yet still there is a glory in

Even the winter’s cold,

For your creation, any time,

Is a wonder to behold.

Psalm 74:17
It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.

Psalm 66:4

There is no place in all the earth

Where your love is not found

And where your love has touched the earth

Your blessings still abound.

To you the earth lifts up its song

Of gratitude and praise

And all the earth bows down in thanks

For all your loving ways.

Psalm 66:4
All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name.”

Balance

My life is a balancing act.

A precarious one,

Some days I can’t keep up with it

Some days I get it done.

I try to keep my smile in place

When everything goes wrong,

But balance is so delicate

And I’m not all that strong.

So if you see me lose my grip

Feel free to lend a hand.

Believe me, I can use your help.

I know you understand.

A Time to Pray

I hurry through the wild hours

To reach the time of day

When I can take a calm minute

To close my eyes and pray.

I know that I can stop and chat

At any time each day,

But I look forward to this time

To close my eyes and pray.

So let the daytime hurry by,

Let evening slip away;

The time has come to be with you,

To close my eyes and pray.

Choose Your Focus

I woke to see the cloud draped sky,

Just as the sun peeked through,

And thought with, irony, that’s what

The winters lead me to.

For clouds hang heavy every day,

The sun a scarce seen friend.

It seems I know the clouds by name

Before the winter’s end.

But then a sweet epiphany

At once occurred to me,

I ought to focus on the sun

And not the clouds I see.

That, on which we choose to focus,

Determines what we see

And what we see will help to shape

The person we will be.

So I will stop counting the clouds

That linger in my sky

And count instead the times the sun

Peeks out as it goes by.

Romans 1:11-12

Some days disorder rules the world

And madness will prevail.

Life’s not about staying in port,

But facing down the gale.

The ancient pine twists in the wind

And bows before the squall,

But when the storm has passed on by

It has withstood it all.

We will not break before the storm

Or sink beneath the wind,

If we can reach out through the dark

And grab hold of a friend.

For turbulence is part of life

And each storm clears at last.

The best way to survive them is

Through faith and friends held fast.

Romans 1:11-12

¹¹ I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— ¹² that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith

Niggling Fears

I have moments of niggling dread,

Where do I go from here?

I know that you have it all in hand

But I can’t shake the fear.

I’m so ashamed that I live in dread

Though you hold me so dear,

Yet sometimes fear whispers to me

That it, too, is still near.

But I will turn away from my dread

And let hope replace fear.

You hold my tomorrows in your hand

And I’ll face them with cheer.

Romans 5:5
And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Family Time

Some days are made for family,

For those we hold most dear,

And though our paths lay far apart

Some days we gather near

To reminisce on yesterday,

The laughter and the cheer,

And dream about the joys to come

With each new passing year.

Ephesians 3:14-15

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

Jeremiah 23:24

I could not hide from you last night,

Though panic filled my brain,

You found me where I cowered down

And took away my pain.

The fear of all that could go wrong

Lost its fierce grip on me

And I could feel the bonds of dread

Upon my heart break free.

Why do I try to run and hide

Each time life overwhelms?

For there is no place you can’t look,

In all your splendid realms,

To find the child that’s fled in fear

From wolves within her mind.

And there’s no heart you cannot reach

With love so true and kind.

Jeremiah 23:24
Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the LORD. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD.

Reflections of His Glory, By TF

Who could have guessed at 17

A lifelong friend I’d met.

If a sister loves through adversity,

Some struggles we’d like to forget.

Sustaining one another through trials

Endless times good and bad

Accepting each other’s uniquenesses

Created a once-in-a-lifetime comrade.

I know my heart is safe with you,

You’ve cherished it for years.

You see me as all I can become

No wonder I shed tears.

When my mind is filled with doubts and lies

Drowning out God’s truth and love,

You discern the source ‘neath all my whines

God gives you wisdom from above.

With divine vision you’re extracting

The woman God had in mind

To set aside the hurts and pain

Be patient, strong and kind.

The bonds of friendship ever grow

Though the distance sometimes great

No matter what I do or say

Your love does not abate.

Our visits seem too seldom

The days and hours too short

But always filled with laughter

From a quick, snarky retort.

Time only serves to strengthen

Our hearts forever fused

By a Lord who knew we’d need

A friend when we feel used.

You influence and encourage me

You’re teaching me to Praise

To speak the joy in everything

And glad thanksgivings raise.

So, in spite of all my sadness

Saying goodbye again,
I’ll remember the lessons taught me

And let joyful songs begin.

I’ll look forward to the days ahead

Display more right and far less wrong

Let your example show me the way

And fill my heart with song.

You are a precious instrument

A blessing from up above

Giving to others abundantly

Reflecting God’s unfailing love.

The Lord roams earth searching

For one devoted, willing heart

Whom He can use for His great plans

Promising His Spirit He’ll impart.

Your goodness shines on brightly

Your heart forever pure

Some things in life are doubtful

Your love is one thing sure.

                           

                       In Praise for Enduring Friendships

In My Savior's Hand

I’m resting in my Savior’s hand,

My cheek against his palm.

The wind whips fiercely all around,

But in his hand its calm.

I walk the world that sears me, but

My soul has found its balm,

I’m resting in my Savior’s hand

My cheek against his palm.

A Blessing of Peace

Taking a moment out for peace,

A chance to just be sane.
I’d better grab it while I can,
It may not come again.

Just for the moment silent peace

Is all I feel and see.
It’s as if the moment’s designed
Exclusively for me.

I know that I live a blessed life

Just in my day to day,
But moments like this make me want
To stop and simply pray,

"Thank you for this exquisite world

In which I’m blessed to live;
Let me be ever mindful of
Each precious gift you give!"

Turn From The Darkness

God stands beside us and calls our name,

But still we stand facing the dark.

We focus on all the worries we bear,

Ignoring his soul healing spark.

Crying that we cannot carry the pain,

But refusing to let it go.

When all we need do is turn to the light

Where his love and comfort both grow.

Why do we choose to stand facing the pain

When we can turn into the light?

Why does the siren song of dark despair

Seem to hold us with such fierce might?

He calls and calls and he waits patiently,

But we refuse to see his grace.

Turn back from wailing alone in your fear

For your joy lies in his embrace.

Perfectly Imperfect

Perfection is overrated,

I say this without doubt or pause.

For, though we strive for perfection

Our beauty shines out in our flaws.

Petals that don’t match the others,

That curve where they out to have swirled;

The hair we’ve struggled to straighten

That stubbornly still ends up curled,

The leaf that turned golden yellow

But never quite made it to red,

The task that should be completed

That’s only half finished instead.

I know I’ll never be perfect,

But I don’t think I’m a disgrace;

I savor my imperfection,

For I am perfected by grace.

2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Snapdragons in Autumn

 

There can be no valid reason

For snapdragons in fall

And certainly they oughtn’t grow

Within a rocky sprawl

Where never seed was laid by man,

But planted by the wind.

Yet there it grew, in autumn’s face,

A cheery summer friend.

And when I saw it smiling there

I felt the summer’s grace

Reach out to me with all its warmth

And touch my chilly face.

Phillipians 2:13

13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Obadiah 1:3

Be not too proud of all your deeds,

But humbled by the grace

That lends a hand to hold you safe

Within that lofty place.

For all the works of mortal man

Cannot be made to stand

If they are not secured by God

And held within his hand.

Obadiah 1:3
The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’

Harvested Too Soon

The frost was bound to kill them all,

So we did what we had to do,

And, though they may well ripen still,

Their flavor will never be true.

But, there are still so many ways

That we can put them all to use,

And they will never be wasted,

There’s no “I’m less perfect” excuse.

We all have our talents and blessings

And a calling to put them to use,

So you can complain upon the sill

Or ripen… but it’s you who must choose!

The Living Spark

The clouds are lowering, My Lord,

I cannot see the light,

I need to hear from you today

That things will be alright.

Please, let me see a friendly face

When I walk down the street.

Let me make a brand new friend from

Each stranger that I meet.

Let me speak an affable word,

Then let me hear one back.

Let me lift up and share real joy

With one who knows its lack.

Oh Lord, please shine some light on me,

Through all the clouds so dark,

And let me share that light with all

Who need your living spark.

Job 26:9

I saw him peeking down at me,

But then he hid his face.

I think he mourned the passing warmth

That once had filled this place.

Yet, with the sun lost in the clouds

And weeping tears to earth,

I fear the time of light and warmth

Must wait for spring’s rebirth.

Still, there will be warmth in my heart

For this is what you planned

And I can dance within the rain

Because I understand!

Job 26:9
He covers the face of the full moon, spreading his clouds over it.