Comfort In Suffering - Re-posted

Sometimes it’s not just the weather

That’s bringing my heart down;

Sometimes it’s not the chilly rain

That’s sets my smile to frown;

Sometimes it’s not the drab grey sky,

The dark and windy sea,

That makes me want weep and weep

So inconsolably.
 

But sometimes it is.
 

And when I let the dreary world

Seep deeply in my heart,

I look to you to dry my tears

Before they ever start.

For summer may be past and gone

And winter’s on the way,

But springtime blossoms where you are

Here in my heart each day!
 

Psalm 119:50
My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.

Unfading Beauty - Re-posted

Let your beauty shine before all,

Let it cheer weary hearts.
Let it bring peace to those in pain
And be where healing starts.

Let your beauty rise from within,

Let it bloom where you grow.
Let it be a source of great joy
To everyone you know.
 
Let your beauty be born of God,
Let it brim with his light.
Let it reflect Him in a way
That’s pleasing in His sight.
 
1 Peter 3: 3-4
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 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.

Faithful Witness - Re-posted

It rises later every day,

Sleeping into the night,
Until it finds itself, at last,
Upon its scheduled flight.
It’s ever faithful in its task,
Though changing every day,
And though it disappears from sight,
It never goes astray.
 
Perhaps I need that faithful walk
As I move through this life,
That I might not be distracted
By each day’s stress and strife,
But carry on, along the path
That I am meant to tread
Recognizing that change is life,
Not something I should dread.  
 
Psalm 89:37
it will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky.

Broken and Loved - Re-posted

I know that I’m a broken soul

I know I can’t be healed

I know that when I face my Lord

My sins will be revealed

The fear and shame cause me to weep

And then I see your face

You look at me through blood and thorns

And I recall my place

Is at your feet and in your light

Relying on your grace

In service to enduring love

And wrapped in your embrace

The pain you suffered in my name

Will never wash away

And yet that blood can heal my soul

And make me whole one day.

 

2 Corinthians 12:9

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Life's Patterns - Re-posted

All the patterns that form my life

Swirl in my mind tonight;
The love, the joy, the broken heart,
The sorrow and delight.
 
They swirl in bright and vibrant shades,
In textured overlays,
Of memories and hopeful dreams
From all my life’s long days.
 
I might have wished for brighter shades,
Less dark colors would do,
But life is much more beautiful
When splashed in varied hue.

Ecclesiastes 3:4    

a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

Photo courtesy of Annie Fitzsimmons & taken at the Chihuly Glass Museum Bridge

Clouds and Light - Re-posted

The lights went out, the world went black,

The wind howled past the eave. 
There was so much work still to do
Before we'd know reprieve. .
 
Then I heard laughter split the dark, 
The candlelight flared true.
While we all gathered closer still,
That sweet joy saw us through.
 
It was as the night lingered on,
That I stepped back to see
We all had worked so hard all week,
We needed to be free
 
For one night, filled with loving joy,
Unexpected and sweet.
You cannot have a golden sky
If clouds and light don’t meet!!

Never Alone - Re-posted

I dwell in sorrow half the night,  

The chaos of the day

Can overwhelmed me ‘til I run

And try to hide-away.

But in the silence where I hide

I find good company,

For you are always waiting there

And you always love me.

I’m not your finest creation,

My faith is often frail,

But you have always stood by me

Through every new travail.

It’s not your faithfulness that’s weak

But mine that fails the test;

Yet every time I quit or fall

You hold me to your breast

And let me know that I am loved

In spite of all my shame;

You lift me up and dust me off

You call me by my name.

All of the heavenly voices

And all the songs they’ve sung

Cannot be sweeter than the sound

Of my name on your tongue

I am not worthy of your love

And yet you still love me;

Each day I chain myself with fear,

Each day you set me free.

So meet me in that silent place,

Where I am on my knees,

I’m not as strong as I should be,

But let me serve you, please.

The Lunar Eclipse - Re-posted

I understand the how and why,

The science of it all.
Yet, in the end, it’s all in place
In answer to His call.
 
The heavens recognize His voice
And move at His command
In ways that science postulates,
But can’t quite understand.
 
It is the arrogance of man
Which leads us to believe
That we can understand all things
It took God to conceive.

In The Tempest - Re-posted

I’m in the heart of the tempest,

I feel the storm winds rise.
The dark clouds of despair and fear
Are filling up my skies.
 
But through them all, I see Your face
I hear You call my name,
I rise to face the turbulence,
Your strength is mine to claim.
 
And on that strength I will rely, 
Though tempests roar above,
For I can face the fiercest storm
If I stand in Your love. 
 
Job 27:20-21
Terrors overtake him like a flood; a tempest snatches him away in the night.
The east wind carries him off, and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place.

Today's Grace - Re-posted

Thank You, Lord, for this day’s grace,

It is beyond belief.
I’d had no luck upon my quest 
And You brought me relief. 
 
I’d searched with little good result, 
Before my need was great,
But lately I’d begun to doubt
Whether it was too late.
 
And then, when I was ready, Lord,
Suddenly it was there.
As if You’d had it planned that way,
In answer to my prayer. 
 
Now I will do my part in this,
To put things into place,
But first I needed to thank You
For this day’s gift of grace. 

Romans 11:6
And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.