Winter Days

I feel the ice

Congealing round my heart

And like frost bitten toes

My emotions drop off

Empty shells, dead to the core

 

The winter days encircle me

The coldness seeps in

I have forgotten what summer is like

The beautiful blooms of spring

Are nothing but an old tale

 

I shiver on the porch

As I wait for these days to be over

Hoping that I will once more see the sun

That this ice palace in my chest will finally melt

And I will feel again

 

“From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalm 61:2 (NIV)

Tomorrow

It looms ominously

A black cloud on the horizon

Silently it sweeps across the sky

Until there is no more light

Just a sheet of darkness and dread

 

You can’t look beyond it

The insurmountable mountain

The future only brings fear

Stress is a filthy rat

Gnawing at the knot of your heart

Like a stone your stomach drops to the depths

 

Whatever awaits you

When the sun rises up again

Whatever you fear

Know that you are never alone

 

“…I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Joshua 1:5 (NIV)

Sunken Pits

Sunken pits in a vast wasteland

Designed to trap and maim

Mists of fog hang like a veil

All you can see is the next few metres

 

You climb out of one but fall into another

Again and again the pattern repeats

You are trapped in this cycle

Traversing this dead land alone

 

In every pit you fall comes the agonising choice

As your face lies in the dust

The silence screaming in your ear

Do you get up, do you try again?

Can you face the pain of the climb once again?

 

If the mist would rise

And your line of vision became unhindered

You would see the beautiful landscape ahead

You would see that this wasteland is finite

 

You are walking again but you are terrified

You walk in a shuffle

Your heart in your mouth with every step

If only there was a light to show you the way

 

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105

Dry Wells

Dry wells

In the depths of our hearts

A deep ache of emptiness

Where life should flow

 

We’ve filled them up with dirt

Clogged them up with sin

And the dryness has taken hold

The clay and the stone have begun to crack

 

You come and dig a new well

In the desert of my heart

Salvation marks a new beginning

You take me from death to life

 

Joy bursts out like a fountain

Peace sprinkles our faces like a spray of fresh water

Gentleness washes over us like a soothing stream

 

Faithfulness gives us a reliable source to depend on

Hope causes long dead flowers to bloom again

Love quenches our deep thirst

 

You can’t stop up this well

You can’t exhaust its supply

Take as much as you need

You never have to feel dry again

 

“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:38 (NIV)

Foundations

The wind blew
And I wobbled
The ground on which I stood
On which I trusted
Cracked
Showed its true nature
Showed I couldn’t rely on it
Deserted me when I needed help

The structures that we build
To give us security
To place our hope in
Don’t we realise?
Don’t we know?
That they can never be enough

Washed out
My house collapsed
I crawled on my hands and knees to Him
To my God
To the One I should have always trusted

I set my foundations
On the rock of His Word
And I found strength
Far beyond my own
The howling of the wind
No longer fills me with fear
I know I am secure

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24 (NIV)

The Narrow Path

It is tempting to take the easy path when our body is screaming at us to give in, when our minds beg us to procrastinate. Doing the rught thing can seem painful at first but it always pays off in the end.

---

The narrow path is a hard path
It is battered by the coldest winds
And covered by the thickest fog
It offers no mercy to the lonely traveller

It is a walk of complete isolation
Its gradient is unforgiving
And its stones are as sharp as broken glass
To walk this path seems like madness

It winds through the harshest terrain
Its final destination hidden from view
There is no way to know where it leads
It offers nothing to attract you

But perhaps the effort is dwarfed by the prize
Perhaps the pain makes the joy all the sweeter
Perhaps first impressions don’t tell the whole story
Who is brave enough to walk this road?
Because I tell you at the end of it is eternal life

“But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:14 (NIV)

 

Seam of Gold

We look in the mirror
And we’re so disappointed
We feel like rocks
Coarse and craggy
Our imperfections jutting out
Ungainly and so noticeable
We feel like a worn out mess
Not a sculpted masterpiece

If we could chisel off the parts that annoy us
A part of our appearance
A part of our personality
We would
To become the person we feel we should be

But inside of all of us
Runs a seam of gold
Endless riches deep in our heart
Waiting to be discovered
A unique treasure that no one can replicate
Its value not affected by the outside

So don’t judge yourself by the outside
Don’t rule yourself out because of the way you look
Take hope in God’s love for you
“…For the Lord does not see as man sees;
For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

Guardian of Peace

Fear is the thief
Outside the heart’s door
Waiting patiently for a chance
To force his way in

A thought of worry
Flickers through your mind
You let it settle
Allow its whisper to linger
The smallest crack appears in the door
Fear smashes his way in

He ransacks the place
Taking your confidence, your dare, your initiative
He packs your hopes and dreams into his bag
He strips everything he can
Doing whatever he can to halt your progress

Your path becomes clouded
As plumes of worry sweep over
So much uncertainty
So much that could go wrong
You turn back from the opportunity

---

Fear is the thief
Outside the heart’s door
Waiting patiently for a chance
To force his way in

A thought of worry
Flickers through your mind
You stand firm
You focus on the promises of God
Drawing strength like water from a well
You won’t let Fear have his way

Peace stands guard
At the door of your heart
Filling you with calmness
Keeping Fear at a distance
Enabling you to step forward
And seize the moment

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7 (NIV)

Gideon

Arise warrior of God
Do not hide any more
Though now your enemies triumph over you
You shall have victory over them
You will overturn their oppression

Get out of the cistern
Thresh the wheat no more
I have called you to the heights
I have called you to separate
Not the grain from the straw
But the fearful from the faith filled
Call out those who trust in Me

Your background doesn’t matter
Your social or economic status doesn’t matter
Your physical power or mental capabilities don’t matter
I see beyond that
I see the seed of greatness I have put in You
I see it coming forth

Bitter Root

Plant a seed of anger
Bury it deep inside
Protect it, let no one know
Every night nurture it
Tend gently to its leaves

Resent
That’s the way to feed it
Remember
Never, ever forget
Let its poison flow through you

The plant begins to grow
Coiling out from the heart
Its tendrils reach out and grasp your arms
And weaves gently round your torso

For a while you indulge in its fragrance
Breathing in its scented fumes
But then you begin to realise
It’s poisoning the atmosphere
Slowly choking out all joy

It is taking root

The plant turns ashen grey
And constricts on itself
The sickly grey begins to morph
Into cold, cruel metal
Into cold, cruel chains

“In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.” Ephesians 4:24 (NIV)