Poems, Personal Stories, and Observations

Posts tagged ‘grace’

Wounded World

Wounded is this world
By sin and strife.
Unhappy people,
Unhappy lives.

Dissatisfied and —
At an unpeace.
Looking for something;
Needing release.

Compassion is needed —
Understanding, love.
God’s intervention,
Grace from above.

Love to your neighbor,
Give compliments.
Brotherly friendship,
It only makes sense.

Build up; don’t tear down.
Encourage; not bully.
Don’t take it personally;
Grudges are silly.

Now, if only I can
Take this advice,
I’ll be one person
Making things right.

Great and Awesome

Great and awesome, mighty God,
You who made the heavens and earth,
And every soul that comes to birth.

We do not understand Your ways,
Oblique to every mind are they.
How often we misspend our days.

We struggle, strive, to keep alive.
We fight, we hate, offense do take,
‘Til understanding comes – too late?

Your mercy, grace, so fathomless;
Your justice, anger, so restrained,
Until the time You have ordained.

Your patience for us wayward souls,
Your love expressed a thousand-fold —
Infinity we now behold.

How do we You now comprehend?
How, small soul, your ways to mend?
His mercy triumphs in the end.

Thanksgiving Prayer

I thank you, Lord,
For the gift of this new day.
You created me out of love,
And only out of love;
You did not need me.

Thank you, Lord,
For the warmth of the sun on my skin
And the chill in the air,
Which spurs me out of lazy inactivity.

Thank you for genuine friendship,
For without it life would be truly dreary.

Thank you, Lord,
For the people who somehow annoy me,
For they teach me unconditional love.

Someday, Lord,
I may be able to genuinely thank you
For those who have deeply hurt me,
For by Your grace,
And only by Your grace,
They have made me stronger,
More compassionate,
And able to empathize with others’ hurt.

Thank you, Lord,
For your patience with me, a sinner.

Thank you, Lord,
For all the hurts, trials, sufferings,
Annoyances, discomfort,
Awkwardness and shame;
For without these
I may never have looked for You,
And been complacent in my comfort.

By Your grace,
You make all things new again.

While I Was Busy

While I was busy
Feeling self-pity
I missed the joy of the moment

While I was busy
Being offended
I missed a lesson I could learn

While I was busy
With jealousy and envy
I missed my abundant blessings

While I was busy
Feeling so bitter
I missed the sweetness of creation

While I was busy
Being self-righteous
I missed the grace that I could give and receive

While I was busy
Feeling you’d attacked me or my beliefs
I missed God’s unconditional love for me

While I was busy
Holding onto my anger
I missed God’s unconditional love for you

Broken Today

Broken today
By my own sin.
Tears of sorrow
Fall like the rain.
Only Your love
Will bring a new day.

So weak without You;
Why do I doubt You?
Wandering eyes
Start looking at lies.
Inadequate soul —
Why my surprise?

Why all the violence?
Lacking godly reliance.
Too driven by lust —
In God we must trust.
We all have our fears —
To Him let’s draw near.

Feel so insecure,
But Your love is sure.
Yes, I am weak,
But Your strength I will seek.
Though sometimes depressed,
By You I am blessed.

You’ve won the war,
The strife for my soul.
Now I allow
Your grace to endow
Your new life in me —
And thus victory.

Utterly Weak

Why do I suffer?
Why do I fall?
Is it a lack of something within?
Is it a deafness, blindness, sin?

Is it my fault,
A weakness large?
Is it an ignorant, stubborn heart?

Or perhaps all these,
Seized on to torment,
By an enemy fierce
Who confusion foments?

Your grace do I seek;
I am utterly weak.
My eyes cannot see;
My ears wrongly hear.
Help me to trust
In You — that I must.

Empty Without You

Empty without You,
Bereft of all things,
Nothing to offer,
Nothing to bring.

Only a skel’ton,
A frame without flesh,
A small, empty vessel —
Without peace, without rest.

Until You do fill me,
Until You bring grace,
Until You infuse me —
I need Your embrace.

You tear back the curtains,
You dissipate dust,
You melt all the misty,
You fill up my cup.

You bring into focus
What once was unclear.
The picture once blurry
I face without fear.

The Brat

I really am a spoiled brat,

Lazy and I live on fat

Lots of money, lots of time,

Like to grumble, like to whine.

Though I’m better off than most,

Of my problems like to boast,

Like to grumble, like to whine,

For others’ problems have no time.

Need a dose of gratitude,

Need to get a better view,

Need to buckle down and work;

Not be such a lazy jerk.

Need a Savior Who can say,

“I love you, like you, anyway.”

Need to let His gracious love

Rain on me from up above.

Forgiven

FORGIVEN

Mind in a muddle
Heart in a struggle
Sometimes it hurts
Just to be alive

Then I feel Your grace
You take me to a different place
You lift my soul beyond itself
You say, “Let’s begin again”

I may be at fault
Not always intended
I fall and I stumble
And Your hand is extended

In You I’m made perfect
In You I’m made strong
You handle my mess
With Your tenderness

With You I will make it
Don’t have to fake it
Don’t have to hide
The feelings inside

So melt me and mold me
Break me and hold me
With You I will make it
I don’t have to fake it

— February 2012