Poems, Personal Stories, and Observations

Posts tagged ‘love’

Sleeping from Grief

[“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.

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Incarnation

God in a body –
How can it be?
The Star-Shaper, Light-Maker
Dwelling with me?

How can the Great One
As infant come down?
How was Man’s Molder
In poverty found?

What kind of love
Does startle, astound?
Incomprehensibly,
My soul He has found.

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Old Saints

[I saw a white-haired lady at church …]

Sun-wrinkled wisdom,
Silver-haired sense.
Long years of suffering,
Lost innocence.

Growth in compassion,
Mercy matured.
Their passion for praying
Has borne much great fruit.

Closer their souls
To God up above.
May all of us hope
To thus grow in love.

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To Be Human

 

To be human
Is to love – and lose.
Then my response
I need to choose.

To be human
Is to hurt – and cry.
Perhaps anger will
My hurt belie.

And then my anger
Might energy give
To right the wrong,
To help me live.

To be human
Is to have deep needs.
I might deny them,
But they’re the seeds …

To bring salvation
If I’ll confess
How needy I am –
That my heart is a mess.

But if my love
Is real and true
Will it be spurned?
I don’t have a clue.

And if my “love”
Has selfish roots,
I’m back to square one –
Truer love to pursue.

But I’m always learning,
Ever learning.
And for God’s truth —
Forever yearning.

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I Beheld Your Beauty

I beheld Your beauty
In the morning dawn,
In dewdrops that were glistening,
In does and little fawns.

I beheld Your beauty
In sunbursts from the clouds,
In rainbows and in lightning,
In rushing rivers loud.

I beheld Your beauty
In little children’s smiles,
In wrinkled faces, in fond embraces;
By love I was beguiled.

I beheld Your beauty
In ugliness disguised,
Beneath the skin, and deep within,
Your beauty there would hide.

I beheld Your beauty,
And cannot comprehend
Your love so great, to contemplate —
Your love will never end.

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Casting Out Fear

I looked around
For many years.
I laughed a lot,
Cried many tears.

The loneliness
I could not fathom.
My heart so cold,
An endless chasm.

God’s beauty came
To rescue me.
I cried for joy;
He set me free.

An aching heart,
It comes and goes.
Love’s happiness
Brings many woes.

My love, it hurts,
Brings many tears.
Yet perfect love
Casts out all fear.

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Goodbye to a Friend (Reprise)

Lord, when the feelings end,
And things are still the same,
It takes some faith
For feelings great,
To love without pretense.

When things seem all awry,
When it’s so hard to try,
Must just express
Some bitterness,
And then let bitterness die.

Who did I think you were
That you should meet all needs?
You’re just a person
Whom I conversed with —
Not God, to Whom I plead.

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God Is Going to Win!

One day I went to church, soon after the Paris terrorist attacks in November, 2015.  The priest talked about the fact that many boys are kidnapped or forced into terrorist training, as young as age six.  They are taught violence and how to cause destruction.  They may be threatened with death if they don’t cooperate.  They don’t know any other life.  I don’t know if the priest implied it, or I thought it myself – “How can they not be terrorists? They don’t anything else.” The priest also offered heartfelt prayers for violence to end, for our safety, and for God to touch the terrorists.

So, I’m driving home after this, and God knows what unconscious process unfolded in me, but suddenly I kept thinking, “God is going to win! Love is going to win! Love is stronger than all the violence, hate, and destruction.”  This kept going through my mind for perhaps the rest of the day, and beyond.

I feel so sure that God, who is Love, will win in the end.

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What Are You Made For?

 

What are you made for?
Is it crying and tears,
For nightmares and fears?

What are you made for?
For feeling alone,
For being forlorn?

Does your soul long for more?
Do you stare at the door,
Wondering when it will open?

Are you longing for love?
Do you look up above,
Or mostly in all the wrong places?

Be still and just listen,
Receive what you’re missing.
He’ll fill you up if you let Him.

 

 

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