Time —
How do we use it?
Do we abuse it?
Going west, you gain some,
Going east, you lose some,
But it’s all how you use some.
Don’t waste it in hate, anger, or blame,
Worry, fear, feeling a victim, or shame —
The time given is the same.
And if there’s time that you’ve wasted,
Seek forgiveness — freedom tasted.
[Have faith, not fear.]
A cloudy day, the sun does rare appear;
It changes moods, exacerbates one’s fears.
A storm shall come; calamitous will be;
All swept away, all lost what once was dear.
And then a break, a crack in grayish wall
Soon widens; blue sky comes out after all.
Until next time, when storm shall truly fall,
Keep hope alive; and pray calamity shall stall.
I hang by a thread, on the edge of a steep precipice;
I am weak and vulnerable.
Yet the Lord will rescue and deliver me.
I sit in the dark, not understanding;
I suffer from blindness.
Yet the Lord will bring His light.
I don’t know His plan for me,
Yet He said He has one.
So I hang in the dark, hoping and trusting.
“He who has begun a good work in you
Will bring it to completion
On the day of Jesus Christ.”
(Philippians 1:6)
With broken heart and contrite sigh
A trembling sinner, Lord, I cry:
Thy pardoning grace is rich and free
O God, be merciful to me.
I smite upon my troubled breast,
With deep and conscience guilt oppressed;
Christ and His cross my only plea:
O God, be merciful to me.
Far off I stand with tearful eyes,
Nor dare uplift them to the skies;
But Thou dost all my anguish see:
O God, be merciful to me.
Nor alms, nor deeds that I have done,
Can for a single sin atone;
To Calvary alone I flee:
O God, be merciful to me.
And when, redeemed from sin and hell,
With all the ransomed throng I dwell,
My raptured song shall ever be,
God has been merciful to me.
[A hymn by Cornelius Elven, 1852, public domain]
John 20:13-18
Why do you weep,
Oh woman, why do you weep?
Because they’ve taken my Lord,
And I don’t know where they’ve laid Him.
But, when Jesus said to her, “Mary,”
She knew Him and went rejoicing to tell others.
Luke 24:5-12
Why do you seek,
Oh women, why do you seek
The living among the dead?
He is not here, but has risen.
So they rushed back
From the tomb and
Told everyone else
What had happened.
Acts 1:11-14
Why do you gaze,
Oh men of Galilee, why do you gaze
Up to the heavens?
This Jesus will come again from heaven
In the same way that you saw Him go.
So they returned to Jerusalem
And were constantly united in prayer.
Luke 12:32
Why do you fear,
Oh little flock, why do you fear?
For it is your Father’s good pleasure
To give you the kingdom.
So let us trust and obey
The One who loves us.
Somewhere in the universe
There is a sphere
With myriad colors —
Light and dark,
Dryness and wetness,
Mountains and valleys.
On outer spheres,
The people peer inward
At the inmost sphere.
The people are spread
All over the outer spheres,
Some closer, or farther,
From the inmost sphere.
They all describe
The inner sphere differently.
Though they tell the truth
About what they see,
The descriptions sound very different.
Are we talking about the same thing?
The storm predicted was much delayed
Though clouds did threaten, though wind began
Its quiet moaning, tree branches groaning.
We waited, waited – wondering
When heaven’s tensions would bring declension
To weather’s warmth and pleasantness.
When least expected, suddenly
A hurried haste of air and water
Gushed and guttered from the sky.
“It’s like a deluge!” – We take our refuge
‘Neath covered arches, no comfort wanting.
But soon it’s finished, the rain diminished,
The wind decreased, or almost ceased –
The sun appearing.
Now water jewels appear on trees
On branches glinting, our minds imprinting
With dreams of fairy fireflies.
In dead of night, in silent places,
The deer creep out and take their places
For midnight dancing, their footsteps prancing.
They circle round a leafless tree,
For now it’s winter, though they might be
There other times — in summer, maybe.
Soon rabbits join them, an inner ring,
If you have ears, you hear them sing,
The lilting rabbit Hopping Song.
Next squirrels join in; it’s quite a din
To hear their tch-tch, as they grin
And join the creature chorus.
Don’t leave out mice; you must look twice
To see their little bodies quiver —
A dancing river.
So don’t disturb the animal fiesta —
You thought they would be taking siesta —
But to your wonder, you found their frolic.
I know nothing,
I am nothing.
But the One
Who is Everything
Cares for me.
And that means
Everything.
GOD’S LOVE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE!
clarakatalin 