True Beauty
Sometimes I’ll sit
in silence, and wonder
what life would be like
if everything were
perfect.
If everything went
according to plan,
if every plan
was perfectly done,
and if every person
was beautiful.
And sometimes
I wish it were so…
but then, I realize
how wrong
and tragic
and terrible
that would be.
Because life is not perfect.
Life is chaotic,
and messy,
and unpredictable,
and painful,
and tragic,
and lonely,
and yet it is so
very, very…
beautiful.
Beauty is not found
in perfection;
Beauty is found
in the flaws.
Beauty is not
a perfect smile;
it is the glowing warmth
of joy underneath.
Beauty is not
flawless skin;
it is the ageless sparkle
of life in your eyes.
Beauty is not
a perfect physique;
it is the depths of love that
pours out of your heart.
And beauty is not
great physical strength;
it is the spiritual strength to
admit that you’re weak.
We all have our own
self-perceived flaws,
but when we focus on those,
we then become blind
to the simple fact that
we have all been created
in His image;
in the image of the
most beautiful being
in existence.
And if He can love us
for who and what we are,
are not we then,
all of us,
beautiful?
The Calling
Close your eyes,
open your ears,
open your heart,
and listen.
Quietly.
Intently.
Secretly.
Listen.
Hear the noise that
moves through silence,
but listen for the
hidden cries
of the voices that are
too fearful to speak,
of the voices that are
not strong, but weak.
Help them.
Lift them up
with prayer and song,
lift them up
and help them along.
They need you more
then you’ll ever know.
They need you to help them
flourish and grow.
So nourish their hearts
and uplift their souls,
and tell them that God,
will ne’er let them go.
For they are the chosen,
they are the ones.
Can you hear them
calling?
Benediction
I am sorry, my God.
I have stumbled along
alone, and lost
the sight of Your
holy way.
I have fought so hard
and struggled so long –
my God, please
help me, I pray!
Help me to break
this cycle of doubt,
this cycle of fear;
open my eyes,
and open my ears.
Help me to see You and
hear Your blessed word.
Help me to cease my
own ways and just
stop.
I am sorry, dear Friend,
for letting you down,
for not having the
strength
to stand up and fight;
to stand up and fight
against this dark world,
to stand up and fight
against my own flesh.
It’s just so hard
to fight
every day,
every night –
even now, I think of flight!
Of running away
from the path ‘neath my feet;
I’m sorry, my Lord,
I am too scared and weak.
I am not good.
I am not strong.
I am not right.
I only do wrong.
Oh, what a wretch that I
am, I am –
Father, forgive me these,
sins, these sins
that constantly haunt my
dreams, my dreams.
Purge me and make me
clean and whole.
Restore unto me,
dear God, my soul.
Give me the strength,
Your strength, each day,
to walk as You walk,
in Your holy way.
Father,
forgive me,
these sins.
Woven Anew
Once I was lost in the noise of this world,
suff’ring a life filled with pain,
until You uplifted my heart and my soul,
and broke off my shackles and chains.
Woven anew with the threads of Your Grace,
You stitched up what was torn apart;
Filled with compassion and mercy and love,
Your Hands held me close to Your Heart.
I am now free from my grief and despair,
from the curse and the pain of my sin;
Quickened to life by Your Spirit of Peace;
By grace, I have been born again.
Lord, Shelter my soul and safeguard my heart
from the toils and cares of each day.
Hold to my hand and strengthen my step
to walk in Your Holy Way.
This Heart
Once I was lost
in an ocean of fear,
sinking with grief and despair;
I tried to climb out,
I tried to find rest,
but solace eluded my heart.
The Tree
Lord, didst Thou die upon a tree,
enduring pain and agony,
to save this wretched world below,
to save Thy precious, wand’ring sheep?
Eternal light and endless joy,
amazing grace sublimely sweet –
were these the objects of Thy sight
as nails pierced hands and wounded feet?
“The King of Jews!” they didst proclaim,
a crown of thorns upon Thy brow;
they tore Thy flesh, yet still Thou cried,
“Forgive them, Lord, they do not know!”
Oh, Gracious God, oh Spotless Lamb,
forgive this wretched, wayward soul!
Restore unto me a tender heart,
unbroken – Father, make me whole!
Trials to Blessings
It is absolutely amazing to me to see God move through your life. He can take a terrible situation – a situation where you feel as if you’ve sunk to your lowest point, where you feel that no one understands what you’re going through or experiencing – and turn it into an unfathomable opportunity for blessing beyond measure.
Grace Eternal
Behold the Lamb of God
who purged away the stain
of sin from off our souls,
that we might be again
Let Me In
Why won’t you let me in?
Why are you shouldering
this life all alone?
Do you not see
that I love you?
Do you not see
that I want to be
there for you?
The Song of My Heart
Create in me, Lord, a heart that is pure
and help me to rest in Thy promises sure;
that Thou wilt never leave nor forsake
Thy children, no matter the paths we may take.
For Thou art our God, the Shepherd of old;
always wilt Thou bring us back to the fold
and teach us to do what it is we are told.
Show me, O Lord, Thy ways.
Forever
Emptiness
Tears roll down the
contours of her cheek
as she sighs with sadness,
cries with grief,
trying to fathom
the emptiness inside
trying to reconcile
her own disbelief.
It cannot be true,
I can’t be alone,
I can’t be alone.
But she is.
Burnout
I’ve been kind of burned out lately.
Not from writing, or reading, or anything of that nature, but I’ve been burned out from the politics of religion – specifically, Christianity. I have so many different friends, all of whom are Christians, but each different circle holds a different set of beliefs. Some say Christ died for the world, others say that He died for His people; some say you must first hear the Gospel to be saved, others say Salvation is of the Holy Spirit and is separate from hearing the Gospel.
But then they get even more divided.
A Prayer for Perseverence
Lord, grant me Thy Wisdom
to hold fast and know
that I can do all things through You.
No matter how hard things
may turn out down here
help me to lean upon You.
The Truth in Avatar
Earlier this week, I stumbled upon a certain YouTube video titled “Avatar is satanic and demonism.” Curious, I clicked on it, and, in the video, Christian pastor Mark Driscoll boldly asserted that James Cameron’s Avatar is the most demonic/satanic film he has ever seen. Normally I would simply summarize, but seeing as he is completely destroying the value of this movie, I will share with you his exact statement:
“[Avatar] is saying that we shouldn’t develop culture, that primitive is good and advanced is bad, and that we’re not sinners; that we’re just disconnected from the divine lifeforce – just classic, classic, classic paganism; that human being should connect with trees and animals and beasts and birds and that there’s this spiritual connection that we are all a part of; that we’re all a part of the divine.”
Hurting Souls
A few years back, a close friend of the family was killed in a car accident, and it deeply affected everyone – myself included. Though I didn’t dwell on it at the time, I’ve come to realize that I learned a lot from that experience. I learned about unexpected loss and tragedy. I learned about the fragility and fleetingness of life. And I learned about what it meant to be there for others, and to have others be there for you.
But mostly I learned that, no matter what, God is Lord over all, that all things work together for His glory, and that He is a refuge for the broken.
I wrote this poem those few years ago, but I don’t think I realized the depth and the truth of it until looking upon it now.
~*~
The Sweetest Thing
“How good, how sweet, how pleasant ’tis
When brethren all agree.”
~ Asa B. Everett
Those words express the sum of my feelings right now, as I have had one of the best weekends in recent memory.
To Thee Doth My Voice Cry Out
Father, my voice cries out
from despair of the unknown;
my spirit doth tremble
at the crossroads.
Words of man give no
comfort to my soul, for
they are drowned out by
the dissonance
of my mind.
Finding the Right Shoe
Here lately, there has been a lot of change in my life (those of you who read my stuff know what I’m talking about), and I’ve come to a simple realization.
You can’t make the wrong shoe fit.
It doesn’t matter how much you like it, how much you want it, or how much you’re willing to sacrifice for it – if it doesn’t fit, it’s not the right one.
