Works Of A Wordsmith

Let me love you, Lord,
The way I long to do–
With all my heart, mind, soul, and strength,
Just as you call me to.

Let me love you, Jesus,
Until the very end.
I want to lay upon your breast
Like John, beloved friend.

Let me love you, God,
With everything I am.
Please, help me to let go of all
That keeps me from your hand.

Let me love you, Holy One,
Beyond this mortal world,
Till I can trust without a thought,
Though life may come unfurled.

Please, let me love you, Lord,
Enough to follow through.
Please, let my prayers be more than words,
So I can soar with you.

Miles and miles of sky
As far as I can see.
The clouds that wander by
Keep mesmerizing me.

Lord, You always come when I call—
Sometimes in silence and sometimes in might.
Though I might not see You at all,
Still I’m sure that You come when I call.

Bowed strings sing
Of sweetness and wonder and glory.
Rich voices ring
Retelling the old, old story.
Wordless colors wing,
Vibrating with fullness and grace.
Somehow You bring
A longing to gaze on Your face.

Note: this one more recently…

In watches of the night I find Your peace.
Your Spirit calms the tempest in my mind.
The anxious thoughts like rough and stormy seas
Grow quiet in the still, small hours, I find.

Your patience with my troubled, restless heart
Is like a song that’s soothing to my soul.
You wait with love for me to do my part
In stepping out on waves that always roll.

I come to you like Peter, trying hard
To trust, despite appearances, in You.
With eyes on Yours, I’m letting down my guard.
Though I may sink, I know Your word is true.

I then learn it’s not liquid underneath!
As long as I am confident You call,
Your solid rock is holding up my feet
Unseen, but real, support within the squall.

Then finally, I’m resting at Your side,
And every thought that troubled me this night
Is banished from the shelter where I hide—
Almighty God, Who shadows me with light.

Note: this one I found I’d written in December.

Awake again and missing sleep,
I’m trusting You, my soul to keep,
For all I need, my Lord, is You.
I find sweet rest within Your truth.
I lift mine eyes and heart in prayer
And cast upon You every care
As on the paths of heav’nly sod
I walk in Spirit with my God.
Conversing with the Lord of all
In sweet communion never palls.
So onward, wakeful I may be,
I’m trusting still, Lord God, in thee.

I’m struck by the beauty of brown today…
Brown. Is. Beautiful.
The grass is a pale creamy tan brown
Against the nearly black brown of the bare trees.
All the in-between shades
Accentuate and highlight each other,
Till I can only marvel at
The complexity possible in a single color.
That was all on the way to work,
Then I looked at family pictures this morning…
My babies all have the most gorgeous chocolate eyes!
I’ve always thought so,
But I really enjoyed the rediscovery.
I remember, too,
How my dad always wore brown (it seemed)–
His prison guard uniform was
Light brown on top,
Deep brown pants, and
On his off days he still managed to
Keep wearing it in some form or fashion…
A cleric shirt and collar most frequently.
Yup.
Today, not only is brown beautiful,
So are all the nostalgic memories it brings back.
I find that though I used to swear
I’d have nothing brown in my wardrobe,
Suddenly I want it’s comforting,
Warm familiarity around me.
It reminds me of ice cream dates with Daddy,
Spending time with my kids throughout their lives, including now, and
The sparse landscape of winter baring her soul
To the perceptive, discriminating viewer.
It makes me want to ask everyone,
“Don’t you know how beautiful brown is???”

It’s hard to take my hands off.
I want to fix it, make it right,
Force the issue…
But You are God, and I am not.

Please, Lord…
Help me trust You, though I can’t see
How it will turn out…
How I will turn out…

Make me hungry and thirsty for You again
Until I care less about the outcomes,
More about process,
Less about the journey’s end,
More about enjoying the scenery along the way, and
Delighting in Your companionship.

Disconnectedness…
In a positive light this time…
Is the important factor in letting go—
Letting go of old things!!!
It’s like breaking the circuit,
So negative energy can’t continue to flow through,
So we can plug into a new, positive
Source of energy that can light us up,
Empower us to move forward
Without all the old influences shorting us out.

My heart unwinds like tinsel from the Christmas tree,
Still clinging tight to all I thought that I could be;
Yet somehow You have drawn me out so tenderly–
I’m humbled once again by how You care for me.

Lord, take me in Your arms and help me cling to You
More tightly than I ever did to what I knew.
I long to find completeness like You want me to.
Let joy replace my grief when morning light dawns new!

*written Dec 31st at 2AM.