A hard Question - Re-posted

Would I have followed Him back then,

When he walked on this earth?
Would I have doubted due to His
Ignominious birth?
 
If I had lived back in those days
Would I have believed Him
Or would I, too, have condemned Him
To that death, bleak and grim?
 
I know He was a simple man
Born of a humble folk,
So would I have, when He asked me,
Chosen to wear His yoke?
 
Or would I have thought, “This can’t be
The Son of God’s Command.”
Would I have been too filled with doubt
To ever understand?
 
It’s said they’re blessed who did not see
And yet they have believed,
But had I lived to see Him then,
Would I have left Him grieved?
 
By humble features, well-worn clothes
A face seen every day?
I wonder, would I recognize
The God I praise today?
 
Isaiah 53:2-3
He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.  He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem

Shout With Joy - Re-posted

Though sorrow may reach out to you,
Don’t let it change your heart.
Let every tear drop that you weep
Be the place joy can start.
For laughter always dries up tears
Like rain melts with the sun
And joy will burst forth everywhere
As soon as weeping’s done.

Job 8:21
He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.

It's The Little Things - Re-posted

Some days it’s in the little things

That we claim victory;
A smile where only pain had been
Is such a gift to see;
 
A simple meal with one whose time
On earth is nearly past,
That you might have one extra day
Of memories that last.
 
A hand squeezing your own hand back
Can be a blessed gift;
A moment when your name’s recalled
Might give your heart a lift.
 
We all have times within our lives
When sorrow looms too near,
But it’s a gift of God’s great love
To hold onto what’s dear.
 
So take your victories each day
And wipe away each tear,
For joy’s a crown that God bestows
On those who hold it dear.
 
Psalm 149:4
For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.

Future's Hope- Re-posted

Lord, I worry about the world

That we will leave behind.
I don’t know what kind of a place
Our little ones will find.
 
But I have watched them growing up,
Each strong and loving heart,
And that leaves me with room to hope.
That’s a pretty good start.
 
So I will work to leave the world
Better than where it stands
And from that point I have to trust
I’ll leave it in good hands.

Both the photo and one of the beautiful girls in it are a blessing from SK. Thank You, S, for sharing both of them with the world! We owe you!! Love you.

Both Faith and Doubt - Re-posted

I pray in faith, with perfect calm,

For people I don’t know,
Yet just today, for a loved one,
I quaked and trembled so.
 
I found myself doubting Your strength
To handle the problem,
Until I heard my calmer side
Say, “Place your trust in Him.”
 
I knew that You would see it through,
But I feared for him so.
I found that there’s still variance
In faith and “what I know”.
 
I knew that You would hold him close
Beneath the surgeon’s knife,
But my faith wobbled when I thought
That he might lose his life.
 
It seems that half of me has faith
And half of me has doubt,
But all of me is confident
You’ll help me work it out.

To Each A Gift - Re-posted

To rise above the turbulence

And soar into the light,
Feeling the wind rush through my hair
As I leap into flight.
 
It seems to me a simple thing,
So effortlessly done,
The way he rises on the wind
Into the morning sun.
 
And yet it’s something I can’t do,
A gift not given me,
And I must stand upon the shore
While he flies out to sea.
 
We each have gifts, given by God,
To use as best we can
In order to fulfill the role
That we have in His plan.
 
I cannot begrudge him that flight,
Though joining would be fun,
For if I joined in his winged dance
My work would go undone.
 
So I will stand upon the shore
Rejoicing in his flight,
Then joyfully pick up my pen
And find a praise to write.

I Turned Away - Re-posted

I heard you calling me one dawn,

But I still turned away.
What you were asking me to do
Was far out of my way.
 
I heard you calling me one noon,
But I still turned away.
I had my heart set somewhere else
And I was off to play.
 
I heard you calling me one dusk,
But I still turned away,
For you expected more of me
Than I could give that day.
 
Then in the darkness of the night,
When all my fears held sway,
I called to you through anguished tears.
You did not turn away.
 
So now I rise with each new dawn
And listen, while I pray,
To hear your voice calling to me.
I smile and turn your way.
 
Romans 2:4
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

And Guard Your Heart - Re-posted

Be sure to guard your heart, He said,

For it’s precious to me,
I placed a love within its walls
Of greatest purity.
 
I made it strong enough to bear
The pain that life may bring
By bracing it with joy enough
That it knows how to sing.
 
With charity and compassion,
Wisdom and a few tears,
I’ve given it the grace it needs
To brighten all your years.
 
Be sure to guard your heart, my child,
From it, all you do, flows.
Be careful what you plant in it,
And from it, what then grows.
 
Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

The Faith To Leap - Re-posted

Oh lord please give me half her faith

To leap and know You’re there,
For she follows You joyfully
Where I still would not dare.
 
It is not youth that makes her brave,
But knowledge, sure and true,
That, whatever life sends her way,
She can rely on You.
 
She lives life as a miracle,
For she trusts in Your Grace.
I don’t know that I’d trust that much,
If I were in her place.
 
I thought that years would make me wise,
But that seems not the truth,
For I am not as wise, though old,
As she, despite her youth.
 
So, Lord, I ask You to give me
Just half the faith she knows,
That I might follow joyfully,
Until my own faith grows.
 
Matthew 19:14
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

This is a photo of my niece, whose faith is powerful and has left me in awe more than once.  I'm grateful to her mother for catching this fearless leap and sending it to me.

The Voice I Love - Re-posted

I seek You where the world is still 

And I can hear Your voice
Where I can see You most clearly.
I seek You there, by choice.
I know that I can find You on
The crowded noisy street,
But I could not hear what You say
Where man and machine meet.
 
So I will go where I can hear,
Your quiet whispering
And where I know my heart will find
Enough joy left to sing.
I’ll seek You in the quiet world,
Of lakes and mountains grand.
For I hear You most easily
When standing in Your hand.
 
Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

A gorgeous photo from my Aunt JSK. Lake Jenny near Jackson Hole, she said. Perfect!!