Rush of turbulent waves
overtake the sandy bits
I am a mere grain
hidden in the drifts
One who sees beyond
how does He know
the deeps where I lay
His love never shifts
for treasure digging deep
it’s hard for us to grasp
open empty hands
filled with love at last
Photo: “Art in the Sand” ©moondustdesigns 2019
A hand offered in silence
a smile to soothe the days
eyes light hope’s tomorrows
cast warm summer rays
you choose to accept another
to greet with friendly smile
burdens often we carry
lighter for two over miles
lean forward into fellowship
melt frost on coldest days
sun breaks the mourning
for God’s gift you can never pay
I am daily graced by the kindness of others. The gesture need not be a grand one but just in a simple act, a smile, a word kindly spoken. The difference can have a profound effect on a person’s day. Try it!
“Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.:
~Proverbs 3:3
“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
~Ephesians 4:32
*
One day from Japan to Guam, a P-3 crew of 12 flew into a tempest. In the face of death, some grasped for metal others crumpled straws; I held to confidence in my God. For hours we were tossed like a mere play thing; it seemed impossible that a craft could hold together against such force. As the storm lifted and just above the ocean we drifted, we beheld the most glorious image. All of nature awakened beneath a glorious, golden halo: Whales blew plumes of water, dolphins played on the surface, flying fish pirouetted in a dance with the waves.
*
eye of the storm
man clings to any hope
nature’s beauty emerges
I can’t paraphrase what the journey committed to God is like. For each pilgrim it is different. But this one thing I can say – no matter the sorrow, no matter the pain when the storm has passed there’s a beauty unclaimed.
The prompt at Poet’s United is “Committed.” What are you committed to no matter the cost?
“A Glimpse to the other side” is a more complete “story” that I wrote several years ago logging this day.
encompassed in sweet fragrance
held together by His grace
bold sunshine rises golden
each day you warm my face
I fear the passing days
you assure me with your love
so little within my grasp
all I have comes from God above
Do you have those days where you turn a corner and you lose your resolve? Is it hard some days to get out of bed and face trials, pain, recent loss? We are held together so lovingly tho at times it seems just a breath that suspends us and keeps us from falling into a pit of despair.
2 Corinthians 12:8-9 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Hebrews 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
my hand reaches for a firm hand hold
shale shreds off, hitting my face
“Im cut,” I shrug
there is a thread suspending me
but it doesn’t give way
I reach the top of this pinnacle
one of the many I have climbed
I add another bandage to the bag
I’ve survived another close call
I look over a breathtaking view
a warm breeze flutters my sleeves
“I love you” is whispered in my ear
I was reminded today of a person in the Bible who had close calls with death – Elijah. After a major miraculous victory, he gets great news “you wont live to see tomorrow.” Running for his life he begs, “Forget this life, God. I cant do this anymore!”
Have you ever said that? I have and again within the last several weeks as I was handed another taunting lab paper that said “You can die…”
God told Elijah to gird up his loins (that means get ready to run long and hard.) He (miraculously) ran for 40 days and nights. All along God had a plan: first he would get Elijah to safety, then he would strengthen and encourage him, and then he would share the plan.
Those gentle whispers are always welcome…
I just read an article about tears and that they are good for us because they open our hearts! Maybe this poem will make a clear visual:
Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; But a man of understanding will draw it out.
I woke in burning pain today
the searing drew me to my knees
tears wash over even now
and I can only pray and plead
My heart heard nudging from my Lord
“people are suffering all over the world
let pain wake you to the need
petition for the lost, your words I’ll heed”
I woke in burning pain today
I dropped sobbing to my knees
“Oh Lord children suffer it is true
they’ll burn alive without you!!! ”
Should I focus on my own suffering or on that of others? The Bible says we will have trouble in this life but isn’t it what we do with the “suffering” that makes a difference? I was reminded as my pain has been escalating of a time when I chose not to use narcotics to stem the tide. The pain would crash over me in the night and I decided I might as well pray. This went on for months (then years). I learned by praying for others that my pain would lessen and like an analgesic I would (eventually) fall back to sleep. These are troublesome times – Do we anesthetize our lives or do we walk on hot coals with fellow sufferers? May ours tears soften our hearts to hear the cries of those lost in the night…
Romans 8:18
Sharing this with Godinterest today.
Between the panes it reaches
irrespective of my will
it howls in singular tone
ties my tongue, I feel ill
icy it tantalizing streaks
lookout for those to spill
through the woods it shrieks
and I cold and all alone
*
As we traverse life, there will always be those cold icy patches that reach out to trip us and at times we fall. In His grace, God picks us up and gives us refreshment maybe even some sunshine. Last year I fell on some nasty ice and had a bad break. The day I finally ventured out, I fell again spraining the remaining limbs. This winter I was afraid to go out if there was any snow or possible ice. I am learning to not be timid rather to be prepared with the right gear. Isn’t that how life is? A trial lays us flat and we want to just stay in the fetal position. We must prepare ourselves and bravely face each day.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.”
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. …”
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
More verses for trial filled days:
Whether poor or rich, tall or short
very young or oh so old
you child are part
of the greater whole
in this spinning world
rushing out of control
man would extinguish
the birds that sing
destruction is such a waste
still we await
the coming spring
we are connected
on each other lean
remember that this God above
the designer of hope
something great called Love
I am reminded of some sweet moments as a nurse and teacher with the friends I had made. An outsider could have considered us different: Our language and skin color was not the same but the radiance in our smiles was like an echo and our voices had a beautiful blend as we sang. Culture may mold us and hand us mores. But as my dear friend Hil would say, we are sisters all the same. As the watercolors of life streak and create a new color, “man” gets angry at the thought that a “oneness” could be the start of a new day.
As a chain gathers strength by being linked together, we as people gain support as we clasp hands and work together.
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
Ezekiel 36:26
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
2 Corinthians 5:7
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Toss determines the start
a mere flip a coin falls
snap into another’s hands
numbers roll with the ball
so much rests on a moment
but you will never see the heart
as man looks at appearance
God sees past the start
all the money in your grasp
can’t be measured against the stars
“what are they playing for?” a child asks
“The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7
Luke 16:15
He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
John 8:15
You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one.
I love watching football but over the years the love for the game, the athleticism, the challenge has been tainted by the money for the players and for the sponsors. Saying that, I hope your heart is touched by this lost puppy Budweiser ad.
Along the pathway that was tread yesterday
there are few indications
that you were here
all that is left is a reminder
and that too will fade
pose the question:
“Does the path I take matter?
Is it more important
that I blazed a trail for another
or that the trail is scarred by my passing?”
If the meek shall inherit the earth, what then will those who terrorize innocent people inherit?
I shudder to think.
I traced the path of a bunny this morning. His concern was for food to sustain him this day. His path in the snow made me smile. Use your life to bring others joy. Man is a beast who evokes fear for his own pleasure or to make a statement. Perhaps he would be better to write an article of angst than to kill and maim.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5 &6 (Verse Concepts)
“Watch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil.”
Proverbs 4:26-27
Learning to live by the indwelling life of Christ.
Gud skaper noko nytt ved sitt Ord og sin Ande, vi kan ta imot det i tru og få oppleve at han gjer sitt verk med oss. Hans skaparkraft verkar konstuktivt i våre liv og skaper noko som er verdifullt for oss. Naturkreftene verkar nedebrytande, i fylgje entropilova, men Gud er Ånd og det som er født av hans Ande består. Jesu frelsesverk er fullbrakt og fullkome. Han er den siste Adam, som er ifrå himmelen og som for oss har vorte ei livgjevande ånd. Han gjev oss den Heilage Ande frå himmelen av berre nåde. Han gjev oss det evige livet.
Looking ahead, without looking back (too often)
Thanks for following a cowgirl on her crazy life journey.
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. - Edgar Allan Poe
Hoping to make the world more beautiful
Books by author Diana Coombes
With previous posting of "Our World" on Blogger
my humanity in written form
Experiments in Creative Writing, and more ....
Poetry by Mich
FOR READERS AND ASPIRING WRITERS
Everyday musings ....Life as I see it.......my space, my reflections and thoughts !!
From Board Books to Clean YA
Cherishing the Past while Celebrating the Present
FROM ONE PARENT TO ANOTHER
Living life with dissociative identity disorder and complex ptsd
penned in moon dust 