Poetry

Equations of words woven in verse,

Rhythm and timing to form the dance

Of visions passing through your mind’s eye

To tickle your fancy and emotion.

The silver pen flashes upon the page

Forming lines and meter in stanza.

Who is to say where the path will lead

But the Author of language and rhyme?

All things are for Him and through Him and to Him,

And by Him all things were made.

How can my soul write of such things

Without His mention in reverence?

It was His creativity that formed the art -

His plan that put it to action,

His power that gave it wings to fly

From thought to page to heart.

So pen your expressions, thoughts, and ideas;

His children will ideally reflect.

For He is alive within your marrow -

A part of your very being.

Rejoice in His gift, this Giver of all,

Lift high His name and His statutes.

I thank Him for this medium

To bring Him His glory and praise.

Alarm Clocks

I’m not a morning person.  I’m a night owl.  I would far rather stay up late to accomplish something than to get up early.  This is why alarm clocks are my friends.  It’s a bit of a love-hate relationship, but it’s pretty much the only way that I can get up in the morning.

It’s a bit of an arrangement the alarm clock and I have with one another.  I set one for a half hour before I actually have to get up.  It goes off and I snooze it.  It doesn’t bother me for the allotted nine minutes (the iPhone default).  It alerts me again, I snooze it, it alerts me again, I snooze it.  Now twenty-seven minutes have passed during which I have slowly made my way out of the land of sleep toward the world of the awakened.  Three minutes later, a different alarm with a different tone goes off.  Now I have to get up.

The Lord knows my strengths and weaknesses, and that getting up in the morning is a task that I tackle with difficulty.  In His wisdom, He has created certain things in which we are to practice discipline.  Getting up in the morning is definitely a discipline.  So I have a choice.  I can tackle it in my own strength and be grouchy, or I can see His discipline as a display of His love for me.  Getting up in the morning is a part of my relationship with Christ - including my dance with the alarm clock.  

All things in life are a part of His relationship with His children.  Talk to Him about it.  That ability is part of the gift that Jesus imparted to us.  So I am thankful that God gave us alarm clocks to aid us in our relationship with Him.

Weekly Impressions - Friends

Proverbs 13:20

“He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

The friends you surround yourself with really matter.  You’re in trouble if they don’t help to build you up in Christ.  I didn’t realize how much this truly mattered until I found a couple of friends who also enjoyed playing video games AND still kept a Christ-like attitude when we were doing poorly.  It really does make all the difference in the world, and helps to point out where my focus lies.

I am eight years younger than my brother and six years younger than my sister.  My sister didn’t play games with me very much, but my brother enjoyed it.  Being eight years older, however, he had a tendency to beat me - A LOT.  It was very discouraging until I realized that winning wasn’t the point.  The point was to play and have fun spending time with my older brother.  That didn’t mean that I stopped trying to win - which meant that I learned a lot fairly quickly - but it did mean that I wasn’t sacrificing my sanity, happiness, and (most importantly) my relationship with my brother.   

However, it is a very rare thing in the video gaming world to find someone with that same philosophy.  Winning is everything, and you’re wasting your time if you don’t win.  (Of course, that’s not just the video gaming world, but that’s where I personally encounter it.)  I struggled for a very long time playing with this crowd, because many are sore losers as a result, and they end up tying their worth into winning.  They don’t think so, and it doesn’t appear that way at first, but as I explored why I was having a hard time with it, I realized that it was a worth issue.  

It took a couple of Christian friends with an entirely different attitude for me to realize just how much I had fallen in with that philosophy, even though I was aware of it.  You really do become more like those you hang out with.  (Sometimes I seem not to take the Bible seriously enough.  It isn’t like I wasn’t warned.)  I am incredibly thankful for the friends God has given me to ensure that I keep my focus on Him.

Green

I am thankful for the color green.  It’s my favorite color.  I’m not sure if I love green because I love lush green landscape, or if I love lush green landscape because I love green.  I think they rather go hand in hand.

They say that green is a relaxing color (except when it isn’t... you know, puke green).  I would have to agree.  When I look at one of those landscapes (especially if there’s water involved) I find myself drawing a deep breath and smiling.  God created such beauty!

So here’s to God’s creativity and wisdom!  I am glad that He created such a color.

Internet

In today’s day and age, most things use the internet.  We use it to watch TV, play games, seek answers, video chat, talk on the phone (VOIP), listen to music, order items, sell items, and express ourselves, just to name a few.  Our computers use it; our clocks use it; our smartphones use it; our printers use it; and some of our appliances use it, too.  It is a dynamic and adaptable tool with endless possibilities.

So when it doesn’t work... you notice.  As the old adage goes, “You never know how much you like something until you don’t have it anymore.”  Our family gathered around the Roku in eager anticipation of watching an episode of “Castle” and a few minutes in, the video began to stutter.  

We can handle this - pause it to buffer!  No such luck.  Hmmm... speed test:  .44 Mbs.  Well that’s not good.

Our internet has fairly consistently been this low around 9:15pm.  Admittedly, most people are on using their internet about that time, which does slow our speed down, but it seems a bit extreme.  It isn’t as though this is some major issue - to have internet at all is a luxury - but we have been missing our internet.

Which is why I find myself remembering that adage and smiling.  I am thankful for the internet.  I am glad that God made it possible, and that we can use it to further His purposes.  We can stay connected with family when they have to be away; we can spread news and share joy with it; we can spread the news about prayer and needs that arise quickly; we can find out about nonprofits and help fund them; again... the possibilities are endless!  

Bolsters

I like bolster pillows.  I use mine every night before I go to sleep to make it comfortable to sit up in my bed as I read or write.  I have musculoskeletal issues, so it can be pretty important to ensure that I have proper support.  I don’t know that a bolster is necessarily the “proper” support, but it’s certainly more comfortable than an ordinary pillow.

You could say that it’s one of the ways that God props me up... quite literally.  I can just imagine the bolster’s arms being His loving arms around me.  I plan on keeping that reminder handy:  that I am always to lean upon God.  In a way, I do it without realizing it anyway; it is by God’s will and grace that I am able to do anything at all.

And so, I am thankful for God faithfully propping me up every night with a bolster pillow.

Wisdom

Proverbs 9:10

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Wisdom is a rather nebulous thing. Many things can be said of it, but you can’t really pin it down in a few sentences.  That’s fitting, since wisdom itself seems to morph to the occasion.  The true key and force behind wisdom, however, is God.  That much is clearly and definitely definable.

I was struggling this morning in frustration with the way that my husband was handling our tasks for the day.  His heart is true, but sometimes we don’t seem to communicate very well.  The same issue came up about three times this morning, and it wasn’t until the third time that I finally asked for God’s help with my own frustration.

I can see now all of the other things I also should have talked to God about to help me refocus on Him.  However, there was only one thing I was really talking to Him about and asking Him for, and that was for the ability to refocus my selfish heart onto helping my husband.  

I am so glad that the Lord helped me to recognize the issue for what it was, and I count that as wisdom.  As I said, there is a lot more that I need to learn; each new piece of wisdom opens my eyes to how much more wisdom there is to gain.  I am thankful, though, for the wisdom that I have received from His friendship and love.

We, His children, are truly blessed.