New Hope

Rejoice within the morning’s light;

With each day dawn’s new hope,

For He has plans to prosper us,

Not just to help us cope.

Although His timing is not ours,

He formed the rising sun

And set its path to best serve life

Before life had begun.

So face each new day filled with faith

That He knows what to do,

For, as he knew the sun’s true path,

So His plans will bless you.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

The Bloom In the Thorns

 

The day was hard, it tore my heart,

But when the day was done,

Amidst the thorns I found a bloom

That shone out like the sun!

There was such pain, and yet the joy,

Is what my heart retains,

For, through his grace, the hurt will pass

And only joy remains. 

 

Psalm 31:9

Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief.

Isaiah 32:2

When the storm winds rise before me,

Lashing me with bitter rain,

I seek shelter in your shadow;

Hiding from the storm again.

You are always my strong refuge,

Shielding me from every storm.

Though the tempests rage around me,

I know you will keep me warm.

Isaiah 32:2

Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

Realizations...

 

Thank you for the insight today,

It meant so much to me.

I really had felt like I’d failed,

But now I truly see

It isn’t that the rhyme is great

Or that the thoughts are deep,

Some days it’s really all about

The promise that I keep.

The time I spend turning to you

And recognizing Grace

Is what fills me with happiness

And lights Your Holy Face!

Romans 15:13

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Time Alone

I need to find that quiet place

Between the land and sea
Where no else but you and I
Can talk of what might be.

I know that I have many plans,
But You have Your plans, too.
And, while my plans sound good to me,
The best plans come from you.

But I get anxious now and then,
A little fearful, too.
I’m worried that I’m off the path,
That I'll lose sight of you.

What if I’m not where I should be?
What if I miss a cue?
I worry that I’m not doing
Something that I should do.

And when it all comes down on me
I don’t need helping hands,
I need some time alone with you
Where silence sweeps the sands.

Pity Party

I need to stop the pity fest,

My life is far too sweet.
It may not be without a flaw,
But it is near complete.

Everyone has some complaint,
And some have many more.
So I need to count blessings not
The things that make me poor.

I need to count the joys in life,
And not the tear or two,
For, if I don’t take note of them,
I might lose those joys, too.

So let me pick my sorry self
Up off the tear streaked floor,
For everyone has tears to shed,
But I like dancing more.

Proverbs 23:29
Saying 19 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?

The Coldness

Let not the coldness touch my heart,

Keep me from wrath and rage.

For that which vexes me on earth

Will not in your new age.

Let me not yield to wickedness,

Nor see it everywhere.

Let me not fail to lend a hand

Where there is need or care.

Let me speak always of your love

To those who need to hear.

Let me, when I am most alone,

Not doubt that you are near.

Oh Lord, I walk through troubled times

And, though I feel their chill,

Don’t let my heart turn cold with them

For I would serve You still.

Micah 6:8

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

I Reach For You

Sometimes my way is blocked by weeds

That I can’t quite see through,
But when I find I’ve lost my way,
Then I reach out for you.

You are my shepherd, I’m your lamb
And, when I was most lost,
I called your name, you came for me
And you have paid the cost.

Now, even in the everyday,
I find you’re on my mind.
There’s not a moment I’m so lost
That, your love, I can’t find!

Matthew 18:13
And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.

Never Fear Defeat

There are those days when everything

That could go wrong, just does.

Today was such a day for me

And I do mean, “It was”!

For I refused to take defeat

And weep over my fate.

I took a day that started wrong,

And turned it into great.

Oh yes, the problems are still there

And I must deal with them,

But I know that I’ll get it done

For I rely on Him!

I know my days on earth are few

And not all will be sweet,

But in Him I’ll know victory

So I don’t fear defeat.

Psalm 44:3

It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.

Counting Your Blessings

Each day I lift a simple praise
To keep myself on track;
I thank you for some blessing, Lord,
Or ask how to give back.

But everyone has gifts each day,
Or struggles they’ve come through,
And this might be an easy way
That we can all thank you….

Each night take time to recognize
Some blessing in your day
And place it in a special place
To save along the way.

Then at the end of this new year,
In winter’s darkest days,
You can look back at all those gifts
And offer your own praise!

My thanks to Carol Hawley from A Gallery Visit for her wonderful idea and the lovely graphic that makes it so clear! Please, take time at the end of each day to think about what happened and seek His hand in the ups and downs; where He sheltered you from harm, where He spilled a special moment of delight into your life or where He simply walked through the valley of the shadow at your side. Write it down in a journal or note it on a scrap of paper and place it in a jar, an envelope or a drawer and save them all. Then, at the end of the year, pull them out and read back through all the little blessings of the year. You will be amazed at how powerful those blessings can be when you hold so many in your hand at one time, especially the little ones that you may have forgotten along the way. Counting your blessings becomes a whole new blessing in and of itself.