Independence

There was a time when I believed
that all the blessings I received
were treasures I myself had earned,
but through the years I slowly learned.

Regardless how I pushed and strained,
security was never gained,
and I began to comprehend
there’s one in whom I must depend.

I played the odds and placed a bet,
but earnings came and left me debt.
I’m still determined to embark,
but yet again I miss the mark.

I recognized I’ll never win
and break these chains of wretched sin.
My righteousness is mere pretend;
there’s one in whom I must depend.

Through all the earthly pain and strife,
I know in whom I’ll trust my life.
I need the grace His love provides
and all the ways His Spirit guides,

So I will sink beneath the waves
because I know that Jesus saves
for He will cast my sins away
on this, my In Dependence Day.

The Voice of God

I heard the voice of God today

When I awoke at dawn ;

The birds were singing in the trees

And chirping on the lawn .

I heard His voice again this noon

When children came to play ;

I heard them laughing in the yard ;

The sound was light and gay .

I heard His voice again tonight

Upon the evening breeze ;

It rustled in the aspen leaves

And silted through the trees .

I heard His voice within my soul

When I lay down to sleep ;

His voice was peace within my heart;

And I am His to Keep.

Jan Bagwell

God Bless !!

Blessings for Obedience

No carvings of statues nor idols of stone;
I am the Lord God to be bowed to alone.
Remember my Sabbaths, they can't be ignored;
revere where I'm worshiped for I am your Lord.​

If you will obey my decrees and commands,
then I will send seasonal rains through your lands.
The crops from the ground will produce such a yield,
and trees will bear riches of fruit in your field.

Your threshing will last till your grapes have been grown,
your grape harvest lasting till grain has been sown.
And you will eat all of the bread you can stand,
while living both safe and secure in your land.

I'll give the land peace so you'll lie down at night
and sleep without trouble and worry or fright.
The dangerous beasts -- I'll remove them for you;
​your land will not witness the sword passing through.

Your enemies will be exhaustively chased,
and they will be felled by the sword and laid waste.
Five chasing a hundred, a hundred pursue
ten thousand -- your enemies slain before you.

My favor on you will make you multiply,
confirming my compact between you and I.
You still will be eating from last harvest's store,
which you'll need to clear out to make room for more.

Among you my dwelling place I will erect,
and you, in my soul, will I never reject.
And I'll walk among you -- be your God, divine;
and you as a people will ever be mine.

I am the Lord God, who from Egypt has saved
and freed you from those who would keep you enslaved.
I've broken the bars of the yoke that you wore
and freed you to walk with head high evermore.

I'M STILL HERE

I'M STILL HERE

My looks are nothing special,
My face reveals my age,
My body shows some wear and tear,
And my energy's not the same.

Too often my memory fails me,
And I lose things all the time.
One minute I know what I plan to do,
And the next it may just slip my mind.

I try hard to avoid my mirror.
There are things I would rather not see,
And even those times when I just catch a glimpse,
I can no longer recognize me.

The things I used to do with ease
Can now cause aches and pains,
And the quality of the things I do
Will never be quite the same.

I always compare my older self
To those younger versions of me,
And I know I'm wasting too much time
Missing who I used to be.

But the thing that really makes me sad
Is despite what people see,
Underneath my tattered, worn out shell,
I'm still the same old me.

My heart can still feel endless love,
And at times it still can ache.
My heart can fill with so much joy,
And then it can suddenly break.

My soul can still feel sympathy
And longs for forgiveness and peace,
And there are times its light shines boldly through,
And times when it longs for release.

It's true, maybe now that I'm older,
Feeling lonely may be status quo,
But it also has made me more willing
To forgive and let past conflicts go.

So maybe to some I look ugly and old,
A person who barely exists.
I'm still quite aware of the beauty inside,
And my value should not be dismissed.

So although not as strong and no beauty, it's true,
I'm still here and want so much to live,
And I know that there's no one in this world quite like me,
And no one who has more to give.

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/i-still-matter

What Can I Do?"

What can I do to help another?
Will I be a coward and run for cover?
Will I just complain of how things are?
Or with faith and grit raise higher the bar,
To serve another now come what may.
Our Lords example he has shown the way.

What can I do to help some soul?
Someone may linger outside the fold?
Will I stay locked down and in despair,
Or inhale a breath of God's fresh air,
And wear a smile on my face today,
To lead that soul along Christ's way.

What can I do to be found wise?
Has the world just stopped before my eyes?
Will I be that peg in that square hole,
To bring the wander in from the cold.
Gently lift their feet from their sinking sand
Where they anchor fast at God's command.

How do I build on life's sinking sand?
Where some have lost, and others ran?
I will slowly dig out all that will move,
No work too hard, no fame to prove.
Just try to show that our God is love,
That all blessings flow down from above.

These anxious times that rock my day?
Do foundations crumble in my dismay?
May God my fortress and my helper be,
Build strong my legs, that I will not flee,
My heart, a home where God can stand
And be my guide at His Son's command.

What can I do to show someone how?
Can I exceed the love that is needed now?
Surrender life to my God's great love,
For blessing now poured from up above,
This virus now sweeping through the land,
Be stopped by God by one word command.

What can I say as I start to pray?
The request put forth on any given day?
I am but a dot on a great big page,
Why would He hear, being such a sage.
Yet He listens well, for I am his child,
While the world around is still going wild.

And you my child, what do you think?
As the coronavirus, your castles shrink?
Your security crumbles and dreams give way
You cringe to think of a more worse day.
But you can change all that in our God above,
As He whispers peace from a heart off love.

Can you make a change when you doubt you can?
Can you trust a God with an eternal plan?
When the anxious times, now in life give way,
When you find God's light and in Him you stay.
For the threat that's now, it too won't last,
When in Christ alone YOU Are Anchored Fast!