Tag Archives: Hurt

HOLD US CLOSE

12 Apr

“And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?”  Luke 24:32

…

 

We come to you, Oh, Lord,

Our hearts we open wide,

Sweet angels guide us home,

Through prayer we’re safe inside.

…

Keep hunger in our souls,

Sweet fillings every day,

We’ll gently teach your Word,

And live you ways.

…

Please hold us close, Oh, Lord,

The way is dark and steep,

We comfort in Your love,

With joy we weep.

…

Please walk with us, Oh Lord,

You’ve sent us to the world;

Their lives are dark and lost,

We’re here to stop their hurt.

…

Put mercy in our souls,

Your perfect love we seek;

For danger stands nearby,

Each time we speak.

…

We represent Your truths,

Our Joy must never dim;

That all may want to know,

The peace within.

…

 

We drink Your word, Oh Lord,

Our hearts and souls are filled.

Your teachings guide our steps,

Our fears and hurts are stilled.

…

We come in daily prayer,

Our vigils never cease.

We gladly intercede,

To bring our brothers peace.

…

Please guide each step, Oh Lord,

To keep our witness true,

Your Spirit lights our path,

Each faithful step renews.

 

 

Written 9-3-91 as a song

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ISOLATION

20 Oct

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. Psalm 91:15

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I have fallen back into myself,

It’s so comfortable there.

—

I see the child

Looking for shelter, reaching out to me,

By my solitude – so precious –

Keeps me from reaching back.

—

I see the man

Drinking away his pain.

“No, no, no.” I shout,

But from my safe place no one can hear,

They continue toward death.

—

I see the woman

At the point of desperation

Mouths to feed, bills to pay, all alone.

I start to reach out

But in my isolation she can’t see I care.

—

The pain of others so overwhelms me

That I crawl farther out of sight

To my safe place with Jesus.

—

Yet in my safe place there’s a stirring

Scriptures echo in my mind

The rumbling of the Spirit bursts through bone and sinew!

—

“Is this what I’ve called you to?” Cries God.

Hesitantly I look into the eyes of my Father,

He’s not angry, only hurt.

—

The tenderness in His eyes draws me.

I reach for His outstretched hand,

And step back out of myself.

—

In my mouth He’s placed the words that I must take,

To the Child, To the Woman, To the Man.

—

The words that will turn their pain to Hope,

Their death to Life.

—

The Words – The Gift – of my Father.

 

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Written 2/5/2003

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FALLEN FRUIT

7 Oct

 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

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Stepping up to an office,

Stationed by God,

I stand in the valley of change.

—

Casting down yesterday’s garments,

Putting on the mantle of righteousness,

Sending out the proclamation,

The ways of the past are cut off,

Tomorrow we walk anew.

—

Many are the voices of comfort,

That come against me.

My shield drops in disappointment.

—

The arrows of discontent,

And false accusation wound me,

Causing my fruit to be pierced,

And fall down around my feet.

—

Then, I recognize the voice,

Not the voice of the brethren,

Only the vessel,

Confused for a season.

It is the voice of the enemy.

—

I cast off hurt as I raise my shield.

Many fruit have fallen,

My branches are broken and splintered,

But next to the wounds are buds of hope,

Watered by the words of the spirit,

Preparing the branches for an abundance,

Of new fruit.

—

Written 2-7-2001

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Troubled Water

23 Sep

(4) For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. (7) The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.   John 5:4&7

I can feel it -

 the shaking,

 the stirring,

 inside.


The angels 

 have troubled the water,

 deep within me.


Who will help me,

 draw close to the pool,

 where pure love,

 can heal?


Where the Glory of God,

 lights the dark recesses

 of doubt.


If I move quickly,

 toward the call of God,

 the desperate corners,

 I find to hide in,

 will be purged and cleansed,

 and my Spirit,

 will be set free,

 to soar above the circumstances,

 my soul calls hopeless.


Who will take the chance,

 of entering into my world,

 and carry me down,

 to the healing pool,

 where Spirit and soul,

 come together?


Who will lay their life open,

 to care - to hurt - to lift?


Could it be you?

 

Written 1-20-99

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Pruning Roses

12 Oct

 

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.        John 15:1-2 (KJV)

Yesterday I was cutting back the rose hips on my beautiful rose bushes.  The remaining roses filled the air with the most magnificent scent.  I knew that if I wanted more roses to fill the bush that I needed to cut away the rose hips so that the bush could concentrate on producing new buds.  Failing to prune away the rose hips would stunt the bush.  The bush works hard to keep the roses full and fragrant.  When the petals fall away, it still is working hard to keep the dying rose hips healthy and doesn’t focus on bringing out new buds.

How often do we continue to focus on the dying parts of our lives?  We have dying relationships or old hurts and wounds that we allow to stay in our life, not purging them away or working past them.  As they continue to fill our mind and take up our time, they keep us from pursuing new relationships and dreaming new dreams.

We allow things to rise and fall in our memories that pull us into depression or anger and detract us from finding the true joy that God has planned for us.  Forgiveness is only the beginning of the process, once we forgive we must let the memories and emotions go, we must prune them away.

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.    Colossians 3:12-14 (KJV)

God never intended for us to be caught up in the “old us” and not renew ourselves to walk in His perfect love and joy.  God knew that we would face trials and tribulations and even made note that those would help build us and make us even stronger, but we had to let them go.  Not easy, but the rewards are wonderful.

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.    James 1:2-4 (KJV)

Lord, let me stand before You, open to Your full pruning.  Cut away the old me, the pain, the hurts, the cutting words and the broken promises that has left me unable to receive all that You have for me.  Help me to flower forth with a sweet fragrance for others to enjoy.  Let that fragrance encourage others to want to be pruned and molded by Your mighty hands.  Amen.

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My Brother, My Friend

17 Nov

 

zebra finch

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down

his life for his friends.”      John 15:13 KJV

I have three small finches.  All three are of a different variety.  They have nothing in common, except a bright white cage and the normal amenities.  Bandit has a red mask across his eyes, Speckle is dark brown with a tan chest and brown speckles, Tangerine has a bright orange beak and legs.  They were put together over different times and took turns getting used to each other.

On a normal day they disagree and sit as far apart as they can, tolerating the sharing of their space.  But, sometimes the abnormal happens.  On occasion Speckle will lay on the bottom of the cage and shudder.  He’s unable to move one leg.  He will fly if startled, but must lean against something to stay upright.  He does this by gripping and balancing with one leg while pushing against a tray, bar or basket.

This will go on for days and, as unusual as it seems, it is not the truly amazing part.  What is truly amazing is that when he’s on the bottom of the cage, shaking and shuddering, one of the others will sit against him, crying out, while the other flies around the cage, screaming and shrieking.  At night, when I check on them, all three will be on the branch, one on either side of the ailing bird, propping him in place so that he can sleep in comfort and safety.

They are so protective and caring of the hurting friend that they take risks that they would not generally take.  Several times I have reached into the cage to stroke Speckle, to pray for him, to hold him.  The other two would sit right with him until I was close enough to touch him, then they would fly off until I removed my hand.  Immediately they would return to their vigil.  After a few days Speckle appears normal again and they all go back to “status quo”, fussing with each other and keeping their distance.

So often I see people tolerating each other, but not pull in to the troubled and hurting friend.  We call each other brother, we call each other friend, but choose to be busy if we think there is the slightest possibility that our emotions may get caught up in another brother’s pain.

Shame on us, Lord, if we fail to have the love and compassion of a handful of caged finches.  If I call you brother, if I call you friend, then I pray for the compassion to sit with you when you hurt, to cry out for help to carry on, and for the strength to hold you up until you are strong enough to stand alone once again   –   as often as you need me.

 

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