Unmerited love
and joy unforeseen,
in the glow of your fire,
my soul is evergreen.
Category: Faith
On Belonging
If allergies are good for nothing else
they remind me
that I certainly
don’t belong
to this world.
Thanksgiving: On Generosity
Let’s collaborate
in celebrating
the soul of Thanksgiving
by giving
even
— and especially —
when the thanks
doesn’t come.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Week: On Gratitude
As the pieces of your heart
gather around your feast,
may your food be gratitude
and your words be peace.
A day of reflection
for the treasures undeserved,
may your gratefulness overflow,
full and unreserved.
Wordsmith Wednesday – Poem VII
There are always chains;
to the boulders of regret,
to the walls of doubt,
to the prison of loss.
For every thing
there is a chain –
but chain me to Christ.
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Firestone Friday – Poem V
With fire and steel
torrents and zeal –
with wind and with ice
with day and with nights –
the moon and her stars
with sighs and with scars –
with earthen quakes
and dusty snowflakes –
with budding petals
and glistening metals –
silent humming
yet strident drumming:
You Are.
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Holiness
Sure, we’re all holy
(from the neck up)
aren’t we?
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Wordsmith Wednesday – Poem IV
Lo, but if we exchanged in commerce
with kindness as currency
and commensurate compassion,
then – and only then –
would wealth be something of honor.
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On Possession
I said she was mine
and he was mine.
They were mine.
And I swallowed them whole,
cherishing the explosive flavor of control.
Then, He came,
and pulled them from my throat.
He told me they were His.
They were all His.
But he didn’t devour them.
What kind of revolution is this?
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Letting Go: Releasing Control
Even a title that suggests a discussion about relinquishing control is unsettling isn’t it? We want control, we crave control, we need control. We hold onto the details of our lives with white knuckles.
And what do we have to show for it? Strained relationships, stress, and regret? Our relationships are strained because we try to manipulate the other person to our whims and we resist when they try to do the same to us. We’re stressed because it’s exhausting and disappointing to manage everything (especially the unmanageable). We’re regretful because every disappointment is our fault, because we’re in control of everything, right?
The greatest irony is this: when we abandon control — in that very moment — we finally achieve freedom and triumph. How could we, though? How could we loosen our grip on our own lives? If we don’t obsessively monitor our lives, who’s going to take care of us? Enter: God.
Abandoning control only makes sense when we’re granting God the power. I don’t know about you, but there’s no one else I want to transfer control to — not to my boss, not to my parents, and not to the government. Only to God can we entrust our intentions every morning and dreams every night. And only He will honor us when we grant Him control.
Add up all of the love everyone has for us and it still can’t rival the providential love God has for us. He loves us even more purely and carefully than we love ourselves. That sounds like someone who ought to hold the reigns.
Next time you’re stressed over deadlines, nervous about job opportunities, anxious about relationships, or overwhelmed by the vast details of life, offer your control to God: “Lord, I could try to anticipate and control everything, but I know that I’ll fail, because I have every time before this. Take the reigns on this one. Whatever you would do or wherever you would send me, let me follow your path. You work all things for my good. How could I help but to trust you with my life and heart?”
May The Lord bless you as you give more of yourself to Christ!
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This is a platform to discuss and reflect on ideas, advancements, questions, and other musings. I am neither a health expert nor a member of clergy. The only authority I have to speak is my experience — I yield no degree or certification to give you medical, psychological, or religious advice. This is simply where minds come to meet and broaden.
Faith, Health, and Other Musings 