Flaws Made Perfection

I know I’ve never been perfect,

I have so many flaws.

I’m grumpy and irascible,

And sometimes without cause.

I tend to be impatient with

Those most needing patience.

I’m often too indifferent…

When I’m not too intense.

In fact, my flaws are obvious

For everyone to see,

Yet, I come close to perfection

When you are holding me.

Psalm 19:7
The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

A Memory

While digging through my memories,

I came on one of you.

It warmed my heart to find you there,

Your glory shining through.

You seemed so glad to be with me

And it made my day, too.

Both then and now, it’s good to know

There’s always me and you.

The Promise of Joy

The promise of tomorrow’s joy

Lies curled within today,

Just waiting to spread forth its fronds

In wonderful array.

Be open to the coming change,

Your faith, fully employ

And let each sprig of happiness

Open your heart to joy.

1 John 4:7

Remembering to laugh again,

Recalling how to dance,

Believing that the joy in life

Will not pass like a glance.

For pain is only born in life

When love has touched the heart,

And love will circle back again

To heal each broken part.

Knowing that pain is part of life,

We might not take a chance,

But knowing love will heal the pain

It makes life worth the dance.

1 John 4:7

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

Psalm 71:20

When all my worries weigh me down,

I know you’ll lift me up.

When blessings have become too sparse,

You fill my empty cup.

When everyone I know and love

Has turned their back on me,

I know that I can look to you

And you’ll be there to see.

The way is often harsh and dark

And I’m afraid to go.

I wonder why you brought me to

A place that scares me so,

But I know, even in despair,

When I am beaten down,

That you will raise me up again;

Your love will be my crown.

Psalm 71:20
Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.

Psalm 100:2

Their little voices rise in song

To fill the morning air

As if their joyful noise is meant

To be a grateful prayer.

They pause but momentarily

Before taking to wing,

For they know it pleases the Lord

When we praise him and sing!

Psalm 100:2
Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Burdens on the Lord

The friends whose needs are oh so great,

The loved ones lost to me,

All those who carry too much pain

And those I long to see.

The fear of growing old alone,

The pain of what is past,

The worries that I can’t resolve

And joys I fear won’t last.

Oh Lord I give all these to you,

And you handle each one.

Not only mine, but round the earth

They rise from sun to Son.

How can you hear the prayers off all,

The worries, pains and fears,

And not break down, the way I do,

Beneath just my own tears.

But you hear every prayer raised

For help when we can’t cope,

Then you return them, once resolved,

And package them in hope.

Photo a blessing from Suzie Campagna

1 Peter 3:3-4

Robed in raiment resplendent,

Beauty formed by God’s hand,

Simple in its elegance

Just as the Lord had planned.

With all of man’s pretension

To augment and refine,

He still can’t best perfection

That’s born of God’s design.

When I gaze in my mirror,

Counting each flaw I trace,

I’ll look instead for beauty

That’s born of God’s sweet grace.

1 Peter 3:3-4
3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

Photos a blessing from Kerlina Vinyard

2 Kings 4:24-25

What lies behind the cheery smile,

What tears, that you can’t see,

Spill only in an aching heart?

What sorrows may there be?

Though you may see a cheery face,

Behind it bruises hide.

Don’t take for granted what you see

Is also what’s inside.

Don’t miss the chance to offer grace

To those whom seem so strong;

You never know who hides their pain

Behind a cheery song.

2 Kings 4: 24-25

 24 She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Lead on; don’t slow down for me unless I tell you.” 25 So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.

 When he saw her in the distance, the man of God said to his servant Gehazi, “Look! There’s the Shunammite! 26 Run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?’”

 “Everything is all right,” she said.

Song of Songs 2:12

The breeze is sweet with golden song,

Blossoms, their fragrance, spill,

The time of whispers in the night

Gives way to Robin’s trill.

For, though my heart has felt the cold

Of death and winter’s chill,

I feel it warming like the spring

And life blossoms there still.

Song of Songs 2:12
Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

The Faithful Heart

Though she’s bedraggled now and then

By worries which she bears,

Yet still she offers joyful hope,

She does not wear her cares.

The face she turns to greet the world

Is one of strength and calm;

The smile she offers those who pass

Is like a cheery balm.

But when the world rains down on her

She lifts her ruffled gaze

And thanks the Lord for all He does

To help her through rough days.

She sets a standard I should live

In faithfulness to you

And so I ask you, hold her close,

I love her as you do.

Psalm 119:30
I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws.

For a friend, MB, who always reminds me what faithful trust in you looks like.

A Broken Heart, A Perfect Whole

I weep, and then I wipe my tears

And place them in your hand.

You hold a power that’s more vast

Than I can understand,

And yet those tears, so delicate,

Sparkle at your command.

You will not let me wallow in

A grief that kills the soul,

For you have called me by my name,

Your love is my parole,

And each tear that you hold for me

Reflects a perfect whole.

To Bloom Again

With my hands folded in prayer,

I turn my eyes to you.

I thank you for the gifts that pass

And then are born anew,

For they reflect the truth I hold,

The faith that pulls me through,

That we are never lost to death

When we are born in you.

Psalm 141:2
May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

My Comforter in Sorrow

Great is the sorrow of my heart

For what I know must be.

She turns her face to you tonight,

And turns away from me.

I know there’s peace for her with you

And respite from her pain.

She will not suffer any more,

But my pain will remain.

So I ask you, Lord, comfort me,

For I am lost in grief,

And only knowing you hold me  

Will bring me some relief.

Jeremiah 8:18
You who are my comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me.

A Grateful Heart

Secret and silent, the fears of my heart,

And I give them all, Lord, to you,

For when I count blessings instead of fears,

Then more blessings come pouring through.

So when my all worries start piling up

Then I let my blessing count start,

For seeds of discouragement can’t take root

In the soil of a grateful heart.

John 9:5

Even when the sun has settled

Into the coming night,

It still shines through the darkened world

Reflected as moonlight.

And you are like the setting sun

Across the endless sea,

For, though you’re not always in view,

Your light reflects in me.

I must, therefore, work harder still

To polish up my heart,

That I may reflect more brightly

The light that you impart.

John 9:5
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Photograph a blessing from Suzie Campagna

Trusting What I Can't See

Each of the little winter birds

Thinks longingly of spring.

They never doubt that it will come,

They lift their voice and sing.

It is the truest form of faith,

To trust what we can’t see.

And so I, too, will sing in faith,

For I trust you love me!

Psalm 18:28

I do not fear the darkness now,

Though it might call my name,

For I am reborn in the light

And I stand in its flame.

I do not fear the darkness now,

Though its hand is on me,

For I am reborn in the light

And it has set me free.

I do not fear the darkness now,

Though it obscures my view,

For I am reborn in the light

And I always see you.

I do not fear the darkness now,

Though it may claim my breath,

For I am reborn in the light

To rise again from death.

Psalm 18:28
You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.

Looking Back on the Day

I felt the whole weight of the world

Was bearing down on me

I didn’t know how I could face

All that this day would be.

But then that truck pulled back again

Before it hit my car;

A space emptied right by the door

So my walk wasn’t far;

The rain let up as I stepped out

To bring groceries in;

And I got back in time to do

All I had to fit in.

The day still offered endless stress,

But, looking back I see,

That it was easier to face

Since you watched over me.

Job 10:12
You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit.

Lost in the Night

Oh Lord, I’m lost, I cannot rise,

I’m too afraid to try.

All of my fears press in on me,

I cower down and cry;

I’ll never make it to the dawn

Beneath this pitch black sky.

Oh Lord, I’m so very afraid,

I hope that you’re near by.

Oh Lord, I see a light break through,

I rise and dry my eye.

The night may still weigh down on my,

But now I know you're nigh!

My Own Reflection

 

Please, help me Lord to strive to be

The person that I want to see.

Let me reflect you so clearly

That I see you when I see me.

The Crossroad

I see the footprints of all those

Who passed this way before.

I cannot follow where they’ve gone,

And they’ll come by no more.

For I am standing at the place

Where choices must be made,

And with each choice there’s consequence,

A price that must be paid.

There is no way of going back

And I fear moving on,

For once I’m set upon this path

All other choice is gone.

So, I will linger here a while,

Where many feet have trod.

I will pray for guidance on

Which path will best please God.