Mercy (a poem)

Here I am yet again,
To begin anew…again.

God of patience, God of kindness

Do not rebuke me from Your sight.

For though I stumble, and yes I fall,

By Your grace I'm rescued from my plight.

To me this burden is very heavy,

I cannot carry such a load.

But You won’t leave me because 

You’ve already walked this lonely road.

So it's to You I run, collapsing

exhausted at Your feet.

And laying there in this state,

It’s with Your touch I feel complete.
 
So in Your strength I persevere
Moment-by-moment and day-by-day.
 
And in Your love I will not fear
As I stand again and begin to pray.

Author note: yeah, I know it ain't Yeats, but what can I say, it came from the heart.  What's really interesting, is I wrote this in my Journal on September 24, seven days before I was knocked out and carted off in an ambulance.  I guess it was the beginning of entering into a new season of life for learning how much God's really in control in spite of my own human efforts.   

Haiku for the Common Person

Sometimes the soul is satisfied by poetry.  Perhaps you’ve felt that way; if so, try these on for size. 

Moves

Sand moves on the beach,

          the tides and winds shifting now.

                   Change is in the air.

On Thinking

          Boundaries breaking;

Consciousness being stretched wide.

                             Restless with my life.

Tuesday

Sitting at my desk,

Not my final destiny.

My mind wanders far.

Catch the theme; whether this has a real name or not, I call it thematic Haiku or therapeutic thinking. 

True Love, Haiku and a Coach

An enduring love
        besting tests of tempest time;
                                       blooms anew daily.

This is a poem dedicated to my dear wife who not only loves me but also puts up with me.  I like writing and reading haiku because if done right, the verses are not only short (typically 5-7-5), but they make a point without a bunch of belaboring reading. Haiku is also fun because you want it to end with a little bit of a twist or with something to trigger a little more thinking.  This haiku is attempting to play two thoughts against each other, "enduring love" and "anew daily."  In other words, I'm trying to say that genuine love endures through the long haul because it is intentionally renewed as brand new every day. 

In between the "enduring" and "anew daily" is the line about "tempest" or storms.  Any relationship, especially marriage, will be hit with storms of many types and varieties, and only the strength of will between the two lovers will determine if they will make it through the storms together or not.  Each person in the relationship must be determined that nothing will break their love for their mate, and if each person has the same commitment to each other and to their marriage, then the storms will come and go but the marriage will endure. 

As a special note for husbands, since we men like to use tools, here's a tool to really help us in our marriages: 

"And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church, He gave up His life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God's word" (Ephesians 5:25-26, NLT). 

So how did Christ love the church?  Read the Gospels and find out.  Here's a suggestion though, especially if you're familiar with sports, look at Jesus as a coach to husbands and you'll begin viewing the Gospels in a whole different light!  Jesus was definitely a man's man and the epitome of endurance, faithfulness, and love. 

I realize all of this commentary is a bit much to draw out of one haiku, but inside the poet is a deeper motive, and that is to help marriages endure while also drawing people to Christ.  So hopefully these many words will draw your gaze upward and your heart toward the one you love.

Running as Spiritual Discipline

AM Run

          Cold blast on my face,

                   Knocked back on my heels—awake!

                             Love the morning run.

To see the rest of the article, go to Janey's blog at www.janey-healthybalance.blogspot.com.