Hope Victorious

I surrender to trust There is so much I don’t know –       can’t control – helpless to fully understand I could be swallowed up by it all –   the unknown is deeper than myself I surrender to trust   I am held in your hand I rest in your ability –   your strength I cover myself in your honor –   making your purity my own I surrender to all you are for me Surrendered - Trusting   I remain in hope Where my view is lit by your promise Your love empowers me to stand Suspended by faith –   Over uncertainty Surrendered to trust   I am not alone   –   nor do I falter I am held – Secure and protected – Strengthened and loved   From this place of trust I face my future without fear     Based on Isaiah 41:10

Alone –      There were times when I feared it      The stillness      Silence      The horror of my thoughts being so loud      No longer hidden by busy actions, reactions, opinions and decrees      The words of others drowning out my own Alone I was vulnerable to the harshness of my evaluation      The truth that always chased me down      I stayed busy, surrounded, well occupied      Trying desperately to avoid the feeling: Lonely –      Even in crowds, still it hovered over me like a cloud      Misunderstood, assumed upon, judged      A dark shroud that weighed heavy upon my shoulders      I hid within myself even as I gave myself to others Lonely and Alone      My need for people was desperate      An appetite voracious and unsatisfied      No am...

I once challenged myself for a week to say every nice thing that came into my head.   No matter if it was silly or superficial, to a close friend or to a stranger.   Even if it made for an awkward moment, where everyone stood staring…   I decided I would say aloud every single compliment, kind remark, or word of approval that I thought. It was surprisingly difficult.   It did result in awkward moments!   I had no idea how many good things I thought, but kept to myself, until I had promised myself to give voice to them.   It was difficult at first, but quickly became easier. I have found that since that original challenge, I am much more prone to speaking the kindness in my heart and mind than I ever was before.   It is a habit I now consciously  work on. Why is it that we often hesitate to say the kind word?   Have you ever regretted saying something kind, complimentary or affirming?   By contrast, how often have you spoken in a hast...

Because sometimes the best person to give you a prep-talk is yourself ! "Yes, I’m fearful and lacking great confidence.   I am wavering in my resolve.   Doubts and uncertainties scream their threats, painting pictures of doom.   I feel small.   There is tension too, because it is something I have decided.   I said I would do this thing.   I will do it afraid!   Certainly, there is a long list of times I have acted, in the face of fear and done the thing I was sure that I could not do.   When have I demanded absolute perfection of myself?   I am learning, growing, becoming!   It is a process and I am well on my way.   It is not always pretty; never is it flawless.   But on the other side, as I have looked back, I’ve always been pleased that I chose to press on.   I remind myself of the hard things I’ve done, impossible even, and then found myself grateful on the other side.   No, I do not turn and run away! ...

      “Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you now are      Believe what you read      Teach what you believe      Practice what you teach” In 2005, I witnessed a ceremony to ordain Deacons in the Catholic Church.   Part of the liturgy was especially powerful to me and I have remembered it and treasured it all these years. It is a vow I have embraced as my own. Receive - A thing may be offered or available to many, but that doesn’t mean that it is received. When a person receives something, they embrace it with purpose, with faith. A sense of ownership and purpose is evidence that one has truly received something. A herald is an official messenger who brings good news. A secondary definition is that a herald is a person or thing viewed as a sign that something significant is about to happen. Each of us who have received Jesus as our Lord and savior are commissioned as His witness. We herald the hope and p...

Last week, during the worship service at my church, I was praying for my son and an unresolved medical issue he is dealing with. During worship I had thought of all that has been required of him, the threat against his well-being, the unknown and my heart filled again with concern and desire.   “God! Please heal him!” was my cry.   As I continued to pray quietly, standing next to him, I heard in the spirit, “shh – be still!”   I was surprised; did the Holy Spirit just “shush” my prayers?!   Isn’t it good to pray?  Are we not commanded to do so?  Philippians 4:6 immediately came to mind:  “ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”   Or think of when Jesus was teaching about prayer and told His followers, “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.   For everyone who asks...

The loss of your friendship is no small thing My heart remembers you and still I love you In me there is a vacancy - the perfect shape of you      I have built a bridge to you Love is a risk – to give and receive Love makes you vulnerable to be hurt We opened our hearts to one another Shared life – joy and pain alike Now the absence of you is painful to bear When hurt and questions get loud inside my mind I return on my knees to the bridge I remember the times we laughed and cried together I rehearse the journey we shared – how you walked with me and I with you We shared strength and faith Walked together in joy and sorrow I remember what I know to be true of you I choose to let this truth rise up above the pain of losing you Questions and things I don’t understand The details that caused this separation I refuse to build a wall of my pain and my confusion      Instead - I build my bridge There is strength in all that we have shared I remember it until I fe...