Life and Hope - Re-posted

The winter had broken its heart,

Clearly the tree was dead.
I had every intention of
Tearing it from the bed.
 
But spring came on far too quickly,
Faster than I’d foreseen,
And that dead tree began to show
Some tender shoots of green. 
 
And so I nursed it gently through
April and into May
When that old tree cast death aside
In life’s verdant display. 
 
I learned a lesson from that tree,
That, despite scarring frost,
We ought not give up on a soul
Until it’s truly lost. 
 
For even those we think beyond
Salvation’s healing scope
May still find redemption and grace.
While there is life, there’s hope. 

The photo and the idea are from a dear friend who recognizes blessings all around her and inspires that vision in others! Thank you, CS!!

A Bed of Roses - Re-posted

They say life’s no bed of roses,
And maybe that is so.
But, though life scatters many seeds,
We choose which seeds we grow.
 
You may choose weeds of bitterness,
With thorns that pierce your heart,                                     
Or blooms of anger whose fragrance
Can tear your life apart.
 
But I will choose to pick blossoms
Planted where kindness grows,
In loam of love and faithfulness
Where peace and joy repose.  
This life is filled with weeds and blooms,
For me, I’ll take the rose.  
 
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

What He Left Behind - Re-posted

On Father’s Day my thoughts still turn
To one who’s lost to me,
At least, he isn’t there each day
To talk to or to see.
And it’s at times, much like today,
That we most inclined
To speak of all the things we miss,
Not those he left behind.
So let me mention all the things
That I don’t miss today
Because he left them here with us
That day he went away.
 
I see his smile on each grand child,
His strength lives in his son,
The wisdom that he shared, in love,
Still guides us everyone.
One sister has his focused mind
Another his kind heart,
While yet another lives the faith
He taught us from the start.
His brilliant mind, his gift of gab,
He left those with us all,
As well as the will to defend
The helpless when they call.
 
His face, his eyes, his loving smile,
His brilliant quirky mind,
The heart that loved all those he knew…
These things he left behind.
Although I miss him every day
I don’t have far to look
To see the pages that he wrote
That fill my family’s book.

A Simple Faith - Re-posted

The simple little faiths of life

We use to see us through
Spring from the things of everyday,
The things that we’re used to.
 
The blossoms bloom with summer sun,
The rain assures they grow;
The little bee gathers its gold.
They all do what they know.
 
They step into the every day
With faith that what they do
Is done because it fits the plan
That was laid out by you.
 
And so I try to keep in mind,
Though things may not seem right,
That you control the universe,
The darkness and the light,
And if, in faith, I spread my wings
You’ll lift me up in flight.

Shadow and Light - Re-posted

We live our lives between the light

And the shadow of death.
We never know how precious is 
Each and every breath. 
 
The days that we have to spend here
Are not left to our count,
For God alone can know for sure
Their purpose and amount.
 
But we are given, in that time,
A chance to choose our way,
To walk within the shadowed paths
Or where the light holds sway. 
 
Choose well, for more than life’s at stake,
Between shadow and light,
The choice is never easy, but
There’s only one that’s right. 
 
Psalm 90:12
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Working Faithfully - Re-posted

Though life may sometimes bring a chore

That you’d rather not do,
Still it’s a mark of faithfulness
To simply see it through.
 
Not every task we have to do
Will fill us with delight,
But there is satisfaction in
Simply doing them right.
 
And though mundane and meaningless,
Might seem the dreary chore,
By doing it as if for God
You make it so much more.
 
So do each task with joyful heart,
However great or small,
Each task has merit of its own
And God’s ordained them all.
 
Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters

Just Too Tired - Re-posted

I want to write to You tonight,

It’s been one of those days,
And, while my heart is willing, Lord,
My mind can find its praise. 

My heart is full of joy, Oh Lord,
My brain, well, not so much.
I know my heart is willing, Lord,
But my brain’s lost its touch. 

So I am left with scattered thoughts
And a heart filled with You.
Please listen to my heart tonight,
My brain is sleeping through. 

Lie Down in Peace - Re-posted

I sleep in peace upon the rock,

The fortress of His Grace,
And I won’t lie awake in fear,
For God protects this place.
 
I shelter in love that won’t fail.
I’m safe in His embrace
And I won’t cower from the dark,
For God protects this place.
 
So let the sun go down tonight,
And the moon show its face.
I will lie down and sleep in peace,
For God protects this place.
 
Psalm 4:8
In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Abba, Father - Re-posted

She guarded them and guided them,

Sheltered beneath her gaze,
That they might grow to live full lives;
To thrive through all their days.
 
So fragile is the mortal heart,
And sinful, to alarm,
Yet that heart rises to the need
When its young faces harm.
 
How much more then is God’s own love,
Not born of fallen earth,
To those who call Him “Abba”, “Lord”,
Despite our lowly birth.
 
Matthew 7:11
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Holding On - Re-posted

Today I’m at my limit and
I’m barely holding on.
I’ve run so fast in circles, Lord,
That all my strength is gone.
But You are all the strength I need
And I will call on You
To help me hold on long enough
To feel my strength renew!
 
1 Chronicles 16:11
Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.