Tag: faith

Be Slow to Take Offense

‘Let every man be quick to listen,slow to speak and slow to anger.’

– James 1:19

But why is it so difficult to be slow to offend?

What open wounds

Exposed to hot knives

Have taken me there?

The bitter taste

of resentment

Still on my tongue

If pushing my buttons were a sport

I would lose every time.

Each imagined slight

Or real live betrayal

Has no sliver of light between them

They merge

And become one

And all the lines blur

It’s all very well

To advise

But when

that button is

so vunerable…

When it feels like everyone finds it

temptingly delicious to push…

I need to take responsibilty

For how I feel.

‘Human anger does not produce the righteousness

that God desires.’ – James 1:20

I need to understand why it feels how it feels.

It feels nasty, disconnected, like I’m outside myself.

Like I’m not there anymore.

‘Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in the mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.’

-James 1:23 -24

That’s exactly what it feels like!

Feelings of hurt and anger sometimes makes us feel disconnected.

They alienate us from our our basic selves. But wait a minute, I need hope that I can be slow to offend. Can you give me that?

‘Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.’ – James 1:4

I get it. Now there is understanding and hope for change.

But where is the unconditional love, where is the hug that I so desperately need?

‘If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.’

-James 1:5

And suddenly all the heat of the anger melts away and in its place is the warmth of the hug.

Mustard Seed Steps

I’m taking mustard seed steps

To get where I ought

These steps are going to take

Much longer than I thought

But, you know baby steps

Always lead to motion

That move mountains

And are cast into ocean

Move that mountain

With just the faith of a seed

A small amount

That you couldn’t even see!

This insignificant little seed

Grows into a mighty tree

‘And birds of the air,

Will come and lodge in its branches’

And just like that tiny seed

That appears to have no power

You think you have no power

Over a mountain

But you can say to this mountain, move.

Yes, mountain, I’m talking to you!

And it will move

And nothing

Absolutely nothing

Will be impossible for you.

A Brighter, Better Springtime

Let’s celebrate this season

It’s springtime at last

So far, we’ve had heat waves

And cold winter blasts

A spiritual awakening

A time for hope

A moment for faith

An era for growth

While we may not have sun

That’s warm enough to burn

The cycle of life

Has finally returned

There’s a bitter side to spring

Many people get depressed

Overwhelmed by expectations

To be their very best

Spring is when many

Mental battles are fought

And not just at Christmas

As is commonly thought

For some, spring is often

When morale takes a dive

It is also when people

Take their own lives

Outside is now thriving

But inside not so

The heart may be frozen

And cold just like snow

When I was summer

I resisted spring

But now I’m in Autumn

It’s a wonderful thing

I hope that they see

Through the dark and the grey

A light shining through

To a brighter day

I pray that all

Of the shadows are chased

For those who can’t smile

When the sun strokes their face.

-Sue Young