Poems, Personal Stories, and Observations

Posts tagged ‘Jesus’

Can You Hear Jesus?

Can you hear Jesus?
His voice so gently calls.
I hear Him in the crashing waves,
In clear, bright mornings,
In darker days.

Can you hear Jesus calling?
He wants to own your heart.
Can you hear Him in the wind?
The fresh, cool breeze?
The Voice within?

Can I hear Jesus speaking?
Or is my heart too deaf?
Will I turn away from Him,
Let call grow dim, or
Let Him wash away my sin?

Can we hear Jesus speaking?
And let us meet one day,
On other side,
Without our pride —
He patiently abides.

Have You Got My Back?

Feeling alone
And forlorn.
There’s nobody home.

Must keep on track,
Have you got my back?
Help me, Lord.

I know I’ll get through this,
With God I can do this,
But it takes so long.

You’re changing me daily;
I’m feeling so fraily.
My God is my strength.

Look Beyond

Look beyond what eyes can see.
Look beyond the bounds of time.
Look forward to eternity —
What will be your destiny?

Gently He is calling you;
Gently calls you by your name.
Will you listen to His call?
Will you give Him all your all?

Walk on the Journey

Inspired by my daughter and husband starting their walk on the Camino de Santiago

————–

Walk on the journey,
Don’t be afraid.
Take Jesus with you;
Yes, with you He’ll stay.

Take living water
And bread for your soul.
Let Him now feed you
And you’ll be made whole.

Life is a journey,
The road up and down.
Stay on His path now
And you’ll win a crown.

Don’t expect roses,
Or ease all the time.
Some things will happen
That cause you to frown.

But if you keep going,
In faith bear things out,
You’ll come to the finish —
“Halleluia”, you’ll shout.

Don’t give up — one more step now;
You’re nearly there.
Keep on His path now;
His joy you will share.

Help Me Love You

Jesus, help me love You,
Help me live for You each day,
Put my life into Your hands,
With faith keep fear away.

Help me see the beauty
You made for me each day.
Recognize Your glory
In things that come my way.

See You in each moment,
In the clouds and sun.
See You in disguises
That all around me come.

See Your plan so awesome,
In joy and sadness praise.
See you both in drudg’ry
And pleasant things each day.

Put my trust completely
In Your plan so great.
Let me tell Your story
So all can contemplate.

You Are Loved

[Written while watching the movie “Waste Land”, about people who pick through garbage to get recyclable materials, in Rio de Janeiro]

You are loved
in Jesus’ name.
It’s not your riches,
nor any fame.
Not what you did,
or didn’t do,
What things you own,
or your great school.

It’s not how many
friends you have —
No boyfriend, girlfriend?
don’t be sad.
Lift up your head,
Because you’re loved.

The Rich Man

Are we rich in any way? It may not be material things ….

————————————————————

Invited in, I shyly stood,
Not knowing if I really should.
You see, I had so much to lose —
A fancy coat, expensive shoes,
My pride of life, my love of booze.

[The door too small to take it all … ]

Undecided, there I stood,
But I could see beyond that door
Some happy people, singing all.
But I would almost have to crawl
To get within that little hall.

I’d have to bend, might have to kneel.
My fear, my pride, I sure could feel.
I turned around, dejected still.

I wandered long; I wandered far,
But in my mind could see the door
Still beckoning, still off’ring hope.

While wandering, I lost the shoes,
The fancy coat, my taste for booze.
Somehow they didn’t seem to give
My soul its very-needed lift.

[My feet were calloused; my soul was bruised …]

I lost my pride; where did it go?
The things I’d thought; they were not so.
Inside-out, it seemed my life;
Continuing, but filled with strife.

Then humbly came I to the door.
I knelt; I crawled, into the hall.
With tears of joy I was received,
And my own tears, my fear, relieved.

The Traveler

I must go on,
For the road is long.
No matter how I think or feel,
I must go on.

I must be strong —
Still the river flows.
Where it leads; I do not know.
I must be strong.

I must keep on,
Though all seems dark.
No matter what some say or do,
I must keep on.

Though throat be parched,
Though eyes do sting,
Confusion reign or angels sing —
Remember Jesus’ suffering.

Keep on the road,
And do not fail,
Though drink be bitter, bread be stale.
To heaven’s gate I must prevail.

Like a Daisy

[Inspired by the following quote:

“JESUS DEIGNED TO TEACH ME this mystery. He set before me the book of nature; I understood how all the flowers He has created are beautiful, how the splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the Lily do not take away the perfume of the little violet or the delightful simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all flowers wanted to be roses, nature would lose her springtime beauty, and the fields would no longer be decked out with little wild flowers. And so it is in the world of souls, Jesus’ garden. He willed to create great souls comparable to lilies and roses, but He has created smaller ones and these must be content to be daisies or violets destined to give joy to God’s glances when He looks down at His feet. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being what He wills us to be.”

St. Thérèse of Lisieux ]

————————————————————————————————————————–

Like a daisy in God’s garden,
Not rose nor lily fair,
Like Leah to Jacob’s Rachel,
No beauty to compare.
Yet Leah brought forth Judah,
Of whom our Lord was heir.

And all the kings and queens of earth,
And those who lack in means,
Come to this world with nothing,
And leave with naught, it seems.

Whether you be famous,
Or by the world unknown,
His purpose you must surely find,
Unique to you alone.

In Wretched Stable

Light in the darkness,
Peace in the storm;
In wretched stable
Our Savior was born.

Forgiveness for sinners,
Hope for the lost;
Hatred now broken —
At unmeasured cost.

Love brought to sinners,
The ugly made whole;
To broken and battered
He shows heaven’s door.

Friend to the unlovely,
The lost and forlorn —
Caught now in sin’s prison,
The fetters are torn.

Come, all you people;
Sing now His praise.
The One who will save us
Is Jesus by name.