Thanks!
Praise!
God unexpectedly answered a
Prayer.
The joy will carry me all day long,
And longer.
Gratitude!
Thanks! Praise! God unexpectedly answered a Prayer. The joy will carry me all day long, And longer.
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It's quite a stretch to believe that
There's a God big enough to Create the universe and all that It contains. But our other option is to believe that Everything that exists spontaneously Arose from nothing, By accident. Take your pick. It appeared that God's people
Wandered haphazardly in the Wilderness. But Scripture tells me that God Actually LED them in their roaming. The wild terrain was boot camp, a Testing ground to prepare them to Enter a new land. Does God, in the same way, test me? Does He allow the barren desolate Stretches in my life to humble me, To reveal what's in my heart, To show me whether I will obey even When He seems so far away? "And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness to humble you, and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep the commandments or not." Deuteronomy 8:2 Much of my poetry deals with
Pain. I notice that I address the topic Frequently. It's because of what Jesus said, "On earth you will have many Trials and troubles." I wrote, "How true!" beside that Passage in my Bible. I should expect tribulation. But Jesus didn't stop with the Bad news. He continued, "Take heart, because I Have overcome the world."* It's why I try to always end on a High note. In my suffering Jesus will help me to be An overcomer. In my sorrow He will fortify my Soul. *John 16:33 Father, You know how this
Morning's been: Feeling frustrated, Trying to schedule my holiday Activities, Wondering how to fit everything in, Fighting unrest that's welling up Inside me. You know it all. I'll hand the mess to You, and Let's start the morning over again. I haven't decided how I feel about
Putting out my Christmas things. When I take the tin foil angel from It's box, the tree topper that Min and I Bought for our first tree, I sigh. The tag on the back says "Lazarus," And it cost 69 cents. I no longer put it on my small Artificial tree, but I can't throw it Away. It's sad to decorate alone, but I don't really want help either. I need to reminisce by myself. Would I drag out the old tattered Boxes if I had no visitors over the Holidays? Would I go to all the trouble? I doubt it. But I'm glad I don't need to decide, for Lots of family and friends will be Coming and going. So I'll do the work and make my home look Christmasy, even though it's more for Them than for me. Since I got to the store early, few people were
Shopping, and I had a few minutes alone With the check out gal. She was an attractive college graduate trying To determine her future studies. The young woman is interested in Biology, Especially birds. "But what jobs would be available For me?" she asked. I sympathized with her. And I remembered the tract in my purse, the One that described my college years when I questioned my faith. In fact, the title of the tract is "I Gave Up on God." I handed it to the cashier. "Here's something I wrote about my own College days. Maybe it will help you." She grinned at me and said, "Thank you so Much. I can't wait to read it." A lady had come up behind me and I needed To move on. But I'm glad that when it comes to sharing Jesus, age doesn't need to be a barrier. I had spent days getting ready for the
Feast. And when I got up this morning I realized I Had slept over 10 hours. My body isn't as resilient as it once was. I'm left with leftovers and sweet memories of Being with my family and friends. During our meal each of us read a bit of Jack's wisdom that he had written down in Various places. Some quotes were short: "Sin is stupid." "Prayer changes the prayer." Some humorous: "I know a little Greek. He has a Restaurant down the street." Jack's other remarks were longer and poignant. A college professor once told me that Special events are composed more of the Preparation beforehand and of the Memories afterward, than of the actual Activity itself. That's true of this Thanksgiving. The day went by quickly, and I was so Involved in the bustle of it all that it was A blur. Now, I have the time to reminisce, to Sort through my thoughts. I can experience Thanksgiving again, the Day after. Today is Thanksgiving.
It falls on the day that Jack Died four years ago. The juxtaposition of the days Brings a mixture of Grief and gratitude, Longing and laughter, and Loneliness, too, even though I am Surrounded by a loving family. But I'll accept the emotions as they Come and go, Ebb and flow, Grateful that giving thanks is always Possible, No matter how I feel.
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Dorothy Kalb Hsu Seitzinger
Writing poetry has helped me process and express my sorrows and joys, my concerns and blessings. "Life is hard, but God is good!" Archives
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