Poems, Personal Stories, and Observations

Posts tagged ‘hope’

What is Freedom?

Freedom is the grace to make good decisions, the power to do good. Freedom is being able to express your beliefs, while respecting others beliefs. Freedom is to receive forgiveness, to be released by the grace of God from the guilt of my wrongdoing, and to offer forgiveness to others. Freedom is receiving the grace to forgive my enemies, instead of living a life of resentment and blame. Freedom is letting go of the past, and having hope for the future. Freedom is appreciating those who have helped you have freedom. Gratitude increases freedom. Freedom is a great gift, and a great responsibility. Thank you, God, for the great gift of freedom.

Written July 3, 2021

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If Not for the Bird Songs

[After 66 years in California, my husband and I moved to Ohio,
to be near kids and grandkids. For whatever reason, it was emotionally
heartwrenching. This poem expresses those things that kept me going,
especially verses four through six. The person mentioned is a female in-
law, who helped me by her friendliness, and introducing me to many
people and places. Never underestimate how your kindness will help
people!]

If not for the bird songs,


My mind would be lost –

With all the changes,

With all the strangeness.


If not for the fairy fireflies,
I would have lost the wonder,
My mind torn asunder,
I would have gone under.

If not for the thunder,
I would make the blunder
Of sinking in sadness,
Being blind to the gladness.

If not for your smile,
I would have dwelt a long while
In a pit of despair;
Might have torn out my hair.

If not for your kindness,
I’d live only in blindness,
A desert of dryness,
So listless and lifeless.

If not for God’s comfort,
My life would be forfeit,
My joy would be dormant,
My thoughts tending morbid.

O, the greatness of God,
Who lifts up the lowly,
Who brightens our story;
Let us give Him the glory!

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Prayer for Racial Reconciliation

Lord, you made every human being in Your image.
Each person, no matter their color, economic status, or anything else,
Is precious in Your eyes.
Each person contains within them a spark of the divine.
Yet, we fail to see this.  We fail miserably.
Many of those in power do not share their power,
Sometimes the rich do not share their wealth.
Or, even “good people” are unaware of the suffering of others.
The poor and the weak often despise themselves,
Not realizing their great value and worth.

Our nation is deeply wounded.
The wound is hundreds of years old.
Anger and frustration boil beneath the surface.
And yet, and yet,
When You change hearts, something new can happen.

Give us new eyes, new hearts.
If we have material wealth, let us share it with others.
If we have gifts of encouragement, of education,
Let us use them to lift others up.
If we are poor, weak, or feel powerless,
Let us not succumb to fear, discouragement, or despair.

Let us see others with Your eyes,
Not the eyes of corrupted man,
Who looks only at ways to bolster his weak ego.
Not the eyes that look only at the surface,
At outward appearance, possessions, or achievements,
But eyes that see Your beauty and goodness in each person.

Give us the courage to reach out to those who seem different from us,
And to accept their friendly overtures.
Heal our fears, worries, anxieties.
Challenge our prejudices, faulty beliefs, and hatreds.

Let those who stir up hatred of people be thwarted.
Let those who have been injured find the grace to eventually forgive,
For an unforgiving heart injures only itself.
Let justice be done for them.

We thank you for Your mercy to fallen mankind.
For without Your mercy, there is no hope.

Amen.

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Wondrous Soap!

What a wondrous thing is soap;
Without it, much harder to cope.
Semmelweis and then Lister,
Two docs in the mixture –
Their ideas now medical fixture.

Our doctors must be antiseptic,
For the rest of us, too, it’s effective.
Wash off those darn germs,
The doctors affirm –
It kills viruses; we can confirm.

Viruses, bacteria – invisible;
Unseen enemies — incorrigible.
But don’t panic or fear,
Solutions are near.
Let us hope for horizons to clear.

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Thank God for the Fleas

When my parents were World War II refugees, they lived in various Displaced Persons camps run by the U.S. and other Allies. Sometimes it would be so cold that there was frost on the INSIDE walls of their “accommodations”.   (I don’t know exactly what their living quarters were like,)  At some point in there, my older brother (a baby!), one paternal uncle, and my paternal grandmother also lived in the same camp(s). At least they had shelter!  Traumatic as it all was, thank you Allies (and, ultimately, God), for keeping my family alive!  Others, as you know, suffered considerably more: in concentration camps, in battles on land, sea, and sky, and elsewhere.

LIFE IS A GIFT! And, I’m so grateful to live in a home with heat and hot water.

Corrie ten Boom was in a concentration camp during World War II, because her family had hidden Jews in their home.  She decided to take seriously the Scripture, “… give thanks in all circumstances …” (1 Thessalonians 5:18), so she gave thanks for the fleas in her barracks.  Sooner or later, she learned that the guards would avoid her barracks as much as possible, because of the fleas.  In that way they did not get as much abuse as they might have.  Perhaps most of us are not as faith-filled as Corrie ten Boom, but there is certainly a lesson to learn from her.

War is probably horrific for everyone touched by it, but perhaps it’s appropriate to also remember the positives.

Why do some (or perhaps all of us) encounter great trials and tribulations?  I propose a few reasons here, several or all of which could occur together:

  1. We are being tested by God.  It can be an opportunity for growth, to trust in Him more.
  2. We are being chastised by God.  ” … for the Lord disciplines those whom He loves, and chastises every child whom He accepts.” (Hebrews 12:6).  This is a good thing, because it shows that God loves us enough to correct us.
  3. We are suffering for our own or other people’s poor choices.  We make bad decisions, or others take out their frustrations on us.
  4. It’s just part of the fallen human condition.  Because of original sin, we all suffer consequences such as illness, accidents, death, etc.

No matter the reason, we must trust that God is with us through these difficulties.  I don’t see any other reason to hope.

 

 

 

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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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Cling to the Cross

Cling to the cross
And trust its might power.
Remember what He did for you
In every minute, hour.

Focus on Him
And keep your eyes above.
Let earthly cares now fall away,
And drink His cup of love.

Take up your cross;
With grace your burdens bear.
Let not your cross bring bitterness —
Have hope, and don’t despair.

Carry your cross,
And one day there will be
A glorious crown, a shining light;
Make love your destiny.

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Hope

The winter bleak,
The branches bare,
And yet …
A freshness in the air.
The darkest night,
A baby’s cry —
The mother sings
Soft lullabies.
The concrete thick,
A barren waste.
And yet a flower
Grows up in haste.
The window cracked,
A heart in pain,
And yet love’s light
Will still sustain.
So weak, so lost,
By life so pained.
But hope, now dim,
Still grows again.

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What You Need

You don’t need that gun,
That automatic rifle,
To show that you have needs —
The hate that anger breeds.
To show that no one cares;
At least that’s what you feel.

You don’t need that rotten drug
To make you feel good and snug —
An empty self you’re trying to hug.

You don’t need that candy,
Or doughnuts by the dozen,
Or calories galore —
You need something more.

You don’t need that woman or man
To satisfy your lust —
You need to learn to trust
That God will meet your every need —
Love you without condition.

False self you must uncover,
And then you will discover
Hope and truth and grace
Through friends in the human race.

You need a sense of belonging;
For that you have been longing.
Let Jesus fill your heart —
Then begins your beginning.

 

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On Prejudice (Mine)

I am prejudiced — but, hopefully, each day I get less and less so.  I attend regular meetings of Prejudiced People Anonymous (well, at least in my mind).

It started early in life.  It was in the air, in my culture, all around me.  “That group …, ” “Those people …,” “That church …,” people around me would say.

But, as I grew older, I realized that prejudice was wrong.  Sadly, the damage was already done.  I fought against the ideas in my head, but they still came.  I felt helpless, knowing that my attitude was wrong.

It didn’t help when some people would confirm my prejudices.  Yes, some people who were “different” did bad things to me.  But others were good and kind.

Over the years, it helped to learn about other cultures and religions, their background, and what they have suffered.  The more I had contact with people who were “different,” the less prejudiced I became.

One of my turning points happened like this:  I had been attending night classes at a state university.  I was walking on campus to my car, when a woman of an ethnic group that I felt most afraid of (or most angry at?) was coming from the other direction. She said hello and was very friendly and had kind words. Suddenly it hit me that I did not deserve her kindness, after the bad thoughts I’d had against her particular group.  It was a grace received, again — undeserved.  I realized that it wasn’t the person’s group that mattered, it was who they were individually that mattered.

There is hope for sinners, even for people like me!  God can change our hearts!  If you are prejudiced, pray for God to show you the beauty of each person.

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