How small I am
In Your immensity;
How ignorant
In Your luminosity.
Who am I
That You should care for me?
A wretched creature —
Yet destined for eternity.
How tiny I am
In Your vast universe;
And yet, invited,
With Your Heart to converse.
Participating
In Your joy and sorrow —
Through present, past
And all tomorrows.
In Your crosses, trials,
I can partake.
And thus in heaven
Your face will contemplate.
Tell your story –
Your life is gold.
Each precious life –
Its story must be told.
Do you not know?
Your wounds can heal another.
Through them you passed;
Your life was turned asunder.
From wounds you learned;
Your heart became much stronger.
Your life has turned;
It’s time to tell another.
The years must pass;
If well, we grow and flourish.
And now, at last,
We can another nourish.
One of the criminals, a thief, who was crucified with Jesus, said to him, “Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom (Luke 23:42)”. Somehow he knew Jesus’ name and that Jesus had a kingdom!
Was Jesus that famous? Did everyone in Jerusalem know about him? Perhaps it was because of the sign above Jesus that Pilot had ordered placed there. The sign declared, “Jesus, King of the Jews”.
In another gospel, it states that, “And the robbers who were crucified with [Jesus] also reviled him … (Matthew 27:44).” Either the two gospels are inconsistent, or there was a transformation in one of the thieves. He went from reviling Jesus, to, in effect, asking his forgiveness. He realized his sin and that he deserved punishment, whereas Jesus was innocent (Luke 23:39-41).
It is interesting to imagine how “the good thief” came to this conclusion. He may have known something about Jesus before the time of execution. Or, perhaps observing how Jesus bore his own suffering, he realized that Jesus was not just a man, but God also.
The cross of Christ is a paradox. How can something so painful be good, and even holy? Perhaps the more you love others, the more you will suffer. Yes, there will be times of joy, but let’s face it: often, it hurts to love.
Because you cared about others, but often they misunderstood you, or they felt threatened by your love, you suffered. Or, you suffered when you saw your loved one suffering. Or, you see their bad choices, but cannot make them change. Then you must wait and pray and trust that God may change their hearts.
I am a part-time gardener;
this reflects some of my experience.
——-
I came upon a jungle ,
‘Twas hiding near a shed.
The vines o’er trees did tumble
And many vines were dead.
The dust was thick — caused coughing,
The dead leaves dense beneath;
The vines o’er shed were tumbling,
The sunlight they did seek.
Perhaps the vines were ancient,
Some dead and some alive;
A canopy they plaited;
O’er tree and shed they twined.
I hacked away, just thinking
The light I soon would see,
And cut blackberries underneath
On which no fruit could be.
What wonder! — I did notice
A rose beneath a vine,
And which privets obfuscated —
Still a true plant sublime.
So if you have blackberries,
Some privets, and some vines,
Just know that in the future
A jungle you may find.
The lumpectomy surgery was successful!
The one lymph node they removed was cancer-free, halleluia! But, they did find some cancer on one of the margins, so I’ll have another shorter surgery, scheduled for 11/30/2018, to remove those cells.
Radiation will perhaps start in early January.
All the Difference
One life, Jesus’ life … has made all the difference. Because of Him, we can have light instead of darkness, hope instead of despair, forgiveness instead of condemnation.
He was born in poverty, not riches. He was born without fame or popularity. He was born to teach us how to give, not grab.
You, too, can make a difference by loving your neighbor and forgiving your enemies.
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