Weighed down
By our sin and suffering,
You sweated blood.
How did you persevere?
Knowing the evil within us,
You still loved us.
Having mercy,
You forgave.
You healed.
Confronting evil,
You were crucified.
Freely laying down your life,
You took it up again.
Savior of the world,
Save us!
Days in the doldrums —
No breath of air —
Heat hanging like limp hair.
Is this our fate?
To sit paralyzed by hate,
Unable to move?
Or will we let the Spirit’s breath,
Like freshening breeze,
Cool hearts oppressed by dread dis-ease,
And so bring deepening love?
How can we move
Without His power?
The darkest hour
Is brightened by
The Spirit’s power.
You lifted me up, for a while.
I flew like a butterfly on weightless wings,
But I had to come down to earth.
I am a worm now, crawling in the mud.
But worms make way for growing things,
For trees, and flowers, and birds that sing.
It’s all the same,
In dust and rain,
In joy or pain.
Love has to hurt —
So life gives birth,
And pain gives way to joy.
An allegory of God’s Love
You planted the seed of Love in my heart
You watered it
You waited patiently
One day I broke through the ground
You sent the sun and rain
You watched over me
I continued to grow
Flowers appeared
You sent the bees and bugs to pollinate
Sometimes I fell ill
You tended me until I mended
You fertilized the barren soil of my heart
Fruit began to show
You fertilized my heart again
When the fruit was ripe
Others picked it
It was sweet and refreshing
Sometimes you would prune me
At first I was angry —
How could you hurt me that way?
But then I noticed:
After the pruning, I would bear more fruit
I grew older
There was less fruit now
But still good
Sometimes there was bad fruit
You returned it to the earth
To be transformed and to nourish other plants
Sometimes fruit fell to the ground
To begin new plants
I am old now
Dry and shriveled
Soon I will return to the earth
But the seeds that fell
Will continue to grow
Watered by Your Love
Do you ever feel like the Drummer Boy?
Nothing to bring to the quiet King.
Nothing to give, except your sin.
Do you ever look inside yourself,
But empty finding, look above.
It’s only there, that there is Love.
And then open your heart to let Him in.
I can’t make you change,
I can’t make you see what I see,
But I can love you.
We don’t see eye to eye,
Sometimes you make me cry;
But I can love you.
I’ve given up the fight
Of trying to prove I’m right –
But still I love you.
Don’t have to have my way,
And maybe I can stay,
And learn to love you.
I can’t make you love me,
I can’t make you like me,
I can’t make you understand me,
I can’t make you agree with me;
But I can accept you.
What is in your heart?
I cannot know,
Except through long years,
And even then, my picture is incomplete.
What can we know of others?
Only by what they say and do,
But mostly by what they do.
How can I know you?
Will I ask you many questions?
Will you lie or tell the truth?
How can I live with you,
Unless we are both honest,
Although honesty can hurt.
How can I love you
Unless I know you?
How can I know you
Unless you share your heart?
How can I love you? —
Tell me your story —
That may be the start.
Sleepless nights
And restless days;
I wake at one,
And then I pray.
What are you trying to teach me, Lord?
Why can’t I hear Your voice?
I beat against Your heart, so good;
Don’t seem to have a choice.
There’s something that You’re saying;
My ears are all stopped up.
I need a precious miracle;
Don’t let me now give up.
Extending through the mists of time —
The mystery of Your love divine.
If I could grasp that love so deep,
My heart and mind would be at peace.
Speechless and mute —
Words can’t express —
The depth of Your love’s
Tenderness
Boundless, infinite —
Your love divine —
Extending through
All place and time
Patient, enduring –
Deep wounds now healing —
Fills all our yearning
The wages of sin —
God’s redemption reins in
Aft’ Adam’s fall
Your mercy cures all
[“When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found
them sleeping because of grief, and he said to them, “Why are you
sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”
(Luke 22:45-46)]
As darkness falls,
Do we sleep from grief,
Or weariness –
Discouragement deep?
Or cynicism,
Or harsh derision,
Or is our sleep
Another kind?
Brought on by drugs,
Or too much wine?
From entertainment,
TV time?
Or trying to end
Our emptiness
With false romance
Or casual sex?
No matter why
We’re sleeping now,
Must ask for grace
To wake somehow –
To take up cross,
Accept all loss
Of worldly glory –
Must tell the story
Of Jesus’ love,
His always-love.
Let grace come in,
Fill souls within.
Our peace receive,
And let grief sleep.
