The scent of morning
reminds my soul that it loves.
Toil not dear friend…rest.
Nothing is as still
as the water on the grass.
Morning dew awake!
Always,
jeannelizabeth©
Tag: listening well
Where are you GOD?
Can you see me down here?
My thoughts rise up to meet
you in the clouds.
Silence.
Dread.
So running forward,
I leave behind my faith.
You weep.
Roar.
Fear.
Stopping in my track
I look up.
There you show your love.
The quest for grace
can only be found
when I am nothing.
I am listening.
In my garden
I hear!
Do not worry.
Do not rush
faster than the wind.
Be still,
my soul!
Answers
Streaming
into my world
are answers
piling higher
the laundry
patiently waits
washed words
eagerly
spring forth
I am
telling you
“I’m sorry”
your bad news
overshadows
my good news!
My doctor originally told me the biopsy results would take two weeks. I graciously was told a few days ago, that the tissue sample tested, came back benign. How happy I was. Was, until I thought of my blog and how I had told my story and would have to give an ending. I thought of all those who hear they are afflicted with the dreaded “c” disease. It can be ravaging. I did not want my answer to be a curse onto those with different fates. (Do not despair! There is an answer for you as well. Seek it!)
We all face bad news at some point in our life. The answer can be cruel. The answer is a lesson. I feel guilty for being cancer free when others face hurdles I escape. In my past, in the physics department where I worked, a professor and his wife were expecting a baby, as I was. We both went into labor the same day. My baby lived. Their baby was stillborn. My baby was a miracle. Their baby was too, in a different way. It taught a lesson harder to accept. An answer hard to discern.
The bigger questions demand bigger answers.
I am obligated to embrace both.
©jeannelizabeth
Anger and why we need to get a grip on this emotion
Who hasn’t had a mouth, bursting full of hot water, ready to scald anyone within feet? I know I have. I felt justified…at least at the moment I erupted. Reflecting back, I have to wonder why I waited so long to let everyone know how I was feeling? Was I worried they wouldn’t love me if I expressed my thoughts? Who ended up hurt? How can I get a grip on my emotions in the future?
There is undoubtedly a lot of unfairness in life. Yet, do we understand truth enough to apply it to other people’s lives when we can hardly understand our day-to-day interactions? Even a slight smirk in a friend’s view, can say a 1,000 hurtful words. Perhaps tempering the tongue first, will reel in our vile thoughts and mishandling of someone’s spirit.
Forgiveness is a dying art. Accusations may play out in a courtroom, yet what does it say about a society willing to trample one another, with mud-slinging and pie-throwing. I am all for justice. Still, I question, what are we accomplishing? Clearly, if someone has caused pain and terror in someone’s life, we should not turn away, claiming we had no idea this was going on (for how long)? Still, no one is completely innocent. Even those who hate a brother or sister, commit murder. We may not embrace their lifestyle, their hair color or any myriad of personal attributes, but they are still an image-bearer of our Creator and deserve respect.
Ephesians 4:26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.”
Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, (NLT)
Psalm 4:4 Don’t sin by letting anger control you.
Think about it overnight and remain silent.
Be quick to confront a wrong. Let someone know personally how their behavior towards you is hurtful. Talk! At least try and talk to them. You may gain a friend or you might create an enemy. Even our enemies deserve our love.
Psalm 63:6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
Luke 6:27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say,
love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you.
I pray you have a good day. I pray you have the courage to be above the fray of life and do as Jesus did. He came to bring LIFE and bring it more ABUNDANTLY. How can we have that in such a misshapen world?
Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved (NLT)
Please note: If you are being threatened physically or spiritually, I recommend you exit the nearest door, and consider your situation carefully. Take some time and contemplate. Find a shelter. Find a friend. Seek someone willing to listen and steer you towards the truth. We are all worthy of love. Do not be bullied. That is the next topic I will tackle; love. Hope to see you soon at Sweet Promises!
abide in me
two weeks
until
I hear
waiting
to know
my fate
Helpless to change my destiny.
It is written.
It is.
Menopause
was suppose
to free me
Jesus says*
“Abide in me…
let my words abide in you,”
This valley
is familiar, Lord
the trees have grown
See
the climb
ahead
How
will I spend
each bright morning star?
Show me
Lord!
Teach me to count my days…
*John 15:7
When you face sickness, it takes over the mind. Every sunny day seems ten times sunnier. Every rainy day seems gloomier than usual. How will this change me? What am I to learn?
I almost welcome the pain. My heart has become as grand and spacious as the heavens opened up. Again, I cry out to God to help me through. I don’t feel alone. I feel helpless.
Update: Just an hour after blogging this, a dear friend sent me this verse, having no idea of what I was searching for. Again, there it is…PEACE, that no man can afford to give, except for the King of kings and Lord of lords. Again, I am in awe of His Majesty!
“4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.” Ps. 46:4-5
This help cannot be seen outwardly.
This help cannot be taken away.
This help will keep me in perfect peace.
This help will I meditate on day and night.
Let this be my prayer Lord…Psalm 43:3 Send me your light and your faithful care,
let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.
Is anything right in this upside down, turned around world?
Opening Act:
Are you as confused as me? Can anyone watch the news today and say, glad they sorted out that mess?
Are these days, finally, the end of days? Many have speculated and announced dates, only to see their prophecy vaporize into clouds that hang over their heads.
My daily soapbox: Proverbs 17:15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent— the LORD detests them both.
Sound familiar? Yes, the truth has become evil and evil has become truth. Look no further than the evening news. You choose, your pick. Which story comes to mind?
Second Act:
Will anyone be found a believer in the end of days? 2 Corinthians 11:3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
Closing Curtain:
One day, the JUDGE will speak, and no one can utter a word! Matthew 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. I have seen this in a dream…even in the church, many will burn, searching for relief, and not even the town fountain will put out the flames that torture.
Until then, the show must go on. Christians are asked to forgive those who trespass against them, be disciplined, pray continually, be grateful regardless of surrounding circumstances and continue to let our light shine in joy!
sacred space (H is for Heaven)
the solitude of the moment
the quietness in the air
words are harnessed and written down
knowing i am almost there
amongst the trees and water
where birds and crickets share
the rainbow hangs above the clouds
the sacred is here
H is for heaven. No I have not been there. Many claim to have been present and seen a glimpse. We are told to bring heaven on earth. What would that look like for you?
Crack in the Sidewalk
Do you suppose
we have found
a way that super cedes
all other ways?
Do you suppose
the crack
in the sidewalk
will keep cracking?
I suppose
I will need to think
about that
before I can answer!
©jeannelizabeth
I googled Crack in the Sidewalk and found many poems and a book with the same title. How are we any different than those before us? Solomon, the wise man in the Bible, from ages ago, said it well “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9. We can repackage the same story, with new words, but the meaning stays the same. What are we trying to figure out? Who created the world? Who created man? Did we just come together in some cosmic explosion, slowly evolve over millions of years, and end up the same as our ancestors? Even they dealt with cracks in the sidewalks. Can you imagine riding a chariot and have a wheel in a crack in the sidewalk?
Intermission
Chapter One
What does this all mean?
What does it?
Really?
Mean?
We all get caught up in “life” but the irony is that the life we live sucks us dry!
Chapter Two
The stage is empty
The chairs are
resting on wobbly legs
Do you dare
to
sit
down?
Chapter Three
How did I get
here?
I never
finished
yesterday!
©jeannelizabeth
The fading sunset
The fading sunset
Set upon the hill
Shines brighter
Later
The snow melting
Runs through a creek
Carried toward
Eternity
Burned into my memory
is your smile
long
lasting.
Psalm 90:12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
©jeannelizabeth (I tried to add a photograph taken during a visit to the Atlantic Ocean, near Plymouth, MA, but the system seems to be ill today…will try later! Ah, the irony!)
