Following Your Light

Oh, I will follow you, my Lord,

Across the widest sea.
And I will follow through the night,
Though I can barely see.
Yes I will follow where you lead,
However far that be,
For you have brought light to my world
And healing love to me.

John 8:12

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Psalm 42:5

Why do I weep when all the world’s

Resplendent with your joy?
Oh Lord, help me to dry my tears
And find things to enjoy.
 
Why do I see just sadness here
When joy is everywhere?
Oh Lord, lead me to seek delight
Instead of bleak despair.
 
Why do I let what I can’t change
Consume my happiness?
Oh Lord, show me that I can choose
Great joy over distress.
 
Oh thank you, Lord, for your sweet grace
That wipes away my frown
And offers me, instead of grief,
A joyous, golden crown.
 
Psalm 42:5
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

To Mom, On Her Passing

Joined in love that never ended,

They trod a winding road,
Walking together, side by side,
Sharing life’s daily load.
 
Until the day he departed
Into God’s shining grace.
Yet always, when she slept each night,
She’d see his precious face.
 
This morning while her children slept,
She heard him call her name
And she reached out, at last, to him,
A renewed love to claim.
 
Now they stand, once more, together,
Two hearts that love made one,
Rejoicing with the Lord forever.
Their struggles on earth, done.

Life's Tug of Wars

I find myself praying,

“Don’t let this be true.”
Yet the alternative
I can’t put her through.
 
She struggles to linger
In spite of her pain,
Yet she also longs to
Join her love again.

Life is a tug of war

In so many ways,
I can’t help but wonder,
Do I weep or praise.
 
I find myself often
Being pulled apart,
Which ultimately leaves me
With a broken heart.

An Unexpected Death

She felt each blow fall on her heart,

Piling upon each other,
As if the weight of all that sorrow,
Her last hope, might well smother.
 
She wept as if her heart would break,
Praying for God’s loving Grace,
And suddenly she saw each tear
Reflected His shining face.
 
That was the moment when she knew,
However crippling her grief,
God’s eternally boundless love
Would always bring her relief.

To B.W.

The Edge of the Unknown

I’m not afraid, though I may stand

At the edge of what’s known,
For God has promised me His peace
And that I’m not alone.
Though I face the unfaceable,
I’ll face it without fear,
For nothing troubles me for long
When He is standing near.
 
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Psalm 107:29

My heart’s tossed in a raging sea,

A tempest of despair.
I try to break free from its waves;
But I’m gasping for air.
 
When all seems lost, I call to You
And You reach out to me.
You still the tempest of my pain
And calm my raging sea.
 
You hold me in Your loving arms
And soothe my worried mind
Until the fears that once had raged
Are stilled and left behind.  
 
Psalm 107:29
"He stilled the storm to a whisper: the waves of the sea were hushed"

Long, Slow Good-bye

She’s heading someplace I can’t go,

Though I know she must leave,
Still, in my heart, I’ll miss her so
And I can’t help but grieve.
 
I want to beg her to stay here,
She’s loved me all my days,
And I can’t lose someone so dear,
Who taught me all life’s ways.
 
But God is calling her tonight,
Soon she’ll turn toward His Grace,
And I’ll be left without the light
Of her loving embrace.
 
So, as her gaze turns from this earth,
And toward God on high,
I’ll cling to her, who gave me birth,
Through her long, slow good-bye.

The Bright Spot

There is a bright spot in each day,

Though sometimes hard to see,
But if you look for it you’ll find
It shining quite clearly.
 
That moment when the clouds gave way
And joy came bursting through,
The instant when you knew for sure
God’s love watched over you.

Turning Forward in Faith

I’m turning toward tomorrow

And away from the pain.
I’m packing up the tears and sorrow
And starting life again.
 
I’ve put heartache far behind me,
Leaving it in my wake.
I’m choosing life filled with glory,
Living it for His sake.