Compression

Image Credit: Me

Some gems lay on top of the ground
However, some are buried deep
Have to toil and sweat, just to be found

Beneath the layers melancholy.
Sometimes all that is found to keep
Is coal; as if we were naughty.

Image Credit: Me

But it is depression that expressed,
Such tales of sadness within me;
For the coal must be compressed

To become a sparkling stone.
As pressure changes unsightly
To the hardest substance known,

And into one of the most stunning
Jewels there are in life –
So why from this am I running?

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Through the toughest stress
And the enduring strife,
Help me bear the compress;

Though I don’t want this any longer,
If it is Your will, make me
Your gem; let this make me stronger!

And then, use Your blood and polish me
Turn me from dark and dirty
Into priceless clean crystal clarity!

Image Credit: Pixabay

Let it all bring to You the glory!
No hiding under bushels of safety
Help me shine for the world to see!

I believe that out of the worst,
You work for my good
So even if it now hurts

I’ll trust You and make the best
Of this as I should –
This polishing process.

Image Credit: Pixabay

As You whisk away the dirt
And all the grime
It will most definitely hurt

But it’s Your plan, I see.
So take Your time
Cleanse me, O Lord, cleanse me.

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Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness.
Surely my soul remembers
And is bowed down within me.
This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I have hope in Him.” (Lamentations 3:19-25 NASB)

For if He causes grief,
Then He will have compassion
According to His abundant lovingkindness.
For He does not afflict willingly
Or grieve the sons of men. (Lamentations 3:32-33 NASB)

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16 NASB)

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (Psalm 51:7 KJV)

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10 KJV)

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**Thanks to T. R. for helping me get the second stanza to work! 🙂

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Metamorphosis

A caterpillar only cares about what it desires
Its lust and its passions fuel its soul’s fires.

But this one was shown a new way to live
Not for itself but to pour out and give –

Because of what was graciously given to it
Loving arms saved it from the bottomless pit.

It built a coffin and got inside, and then
It emerged as a new creature and could abide in Him

By putting off the old man and putting on the new
Sins were left behind and life was renewed!

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This was written for the Weekend Writing Prompt Anthology week 52 – Emergence. If you’d like to participate, the submission guidelines are here. (The deadline is August 10th!) Special thanks to Olivia for helping me write this one! 

Just When I Thought I Would Crumble…

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The hedge of protection had been removed; suddenly I was vulnerable like Job. The enemy started to beat me until my heart cracked. I cried out to God to patch the cracks, but I received no answer. I trusted in Him, asked for Him to stay with me through it, not knowing His plan; and continued on.

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Soon, I was under fire. The fiery darts of the enemy pierced me, leaving holes in my soul. I cried out to God to patch the holes, but He did not reply. I wondered if this was His plan or was the enemy trying to have his way? I fought in His name and prayed, but also trusted in Him.

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The voice of the enemy came and tore my mind to shreds, trying to get me to question everything. What is from God? What is not? How do I discern? I study the Bible and ask for His wisdom, and trust in Him.

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All of the other things coming at me began to affect my strength. I became weak. I asked Him to please protect my spirit from harm. It was weak from my cracked heart, holey soul, shredded forlorn mind, and lack of strength. My faith wanted to remain strong, but it saw its own weakness, and I prayed for Him to help my unbelief.

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Finally, when I thought I would crumble, I heard this: 

“Now that your heart is cracked, My Light can shine through you and reach others. It is not to be kept under a bushel, nor hidden within a heart.”

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“Now that you have been pierced, My Holy Spirit can flow out of your soul much easier. No longer will you have to overflow; I can flow through you freely.”

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“Now that you are questioning everything, I can use that to help you learn more about Me and draw you closer to Myself. Before, you thought pridefully that you knew much – how you knew some things but did not know them! – but in asking Me for wisdom and reading My Word, your pride is crumbling like the walls of Jericho and you can see what I say and not what people say.”

Image Credit: Me

“Now that your spirit is weak, you may find true strength in Me. For when you are weak, you are actually strong! Before, you relied on yourself, but now you have nothing left and must turn to Me for your source of strength.”

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“Your humbleness to My plans has made it possible to create an outflow of My love through your damaged heart and soul. You gave them to Me to do what I will with it, and I did. What the enemy meant for evil, I will turn for good. Continue, my faithful servant, loving Me with all of your cracked heart, pierced soul, wondering mind, and weak spirit, and I will be with you every step. The road won’t be easy – you may crack even more, be pierced again, question everything you once believed about Me, and find that you are too weak to serve Me. But that is how I need you so that I can use you. Do you trust Me?”

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And then, despite the state my heart, soul, mind, and spirit was in, I felt peace.

“I trust You, my Lord.”

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“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.” (Luke 11:33 NKJV)

Jesus said to him, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37 NKJV)

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble…” James 4:6

“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good…” Genesis 50:20

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 KJV)

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (Second Corinthians 12:8-9 NKJV)

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This is a little something I wrote a few months ago after praying about a rough patch I was going through. 🙂 I hope it can also bring hope to others. ❤

Keep On The Path

Apple Tree Sapling

A seed was planted in fertile ground.
It was indeed slow growing,
Because tall weeds abounded,
Choking, no longer living or knowing

Jesus; it flirted with seemingly delightful death.
Eyes were opened and God plucked the weeds
And then gave it a Life-Giving Breath –
No, it is not the end of this seed!

Rocks tried to make it harder to grow,
And when it saw how far it came,
Winds of self-consciousness came to blow
And it wilted over in shame.

“But stand tall, My little plant!
I, the Great I am, died for you!
Don’t think of what you can’t
But think of what I can do!

“You should be proud, I’ve brought you far.
Keep on the path that I’ve set for you, little one.
Be satisfied with the plant that you are,
But yet, strive to grow toward the Son.”

3 Day 3 Quote Challenge Day Seven

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:12-14, NKJV)

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Fun fact – that’s my bike. My trusty banana seat bike. ❤ I’ve had her ever since I was a tween and I still ride her sometimes. Her name is SeaStar. (The decals say “SeaStar” so I always have called her that.) This is my “before” photo – I plan to give her some fresh paint sometime because the old is starting to peel off and she’s starting to rust. 😨 And I want to add a basket and a bell and new tassels on the handlebars – I think I pretty much want to try my hand at restoring her.

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Nominee:

Dream Filled Daughter

3 Day 3 Quotes Challenge Day Six

I don’t know who said this one. Google says that Alexander Hamilton said it, but there are other sources that suggest others said it. Whoever said it, I like it. 🙂 And I don’t know about you, but I stand up for not for “something” but for Someone – Christ!

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Today’s Nominee:

Faye

My Eyes Are On You

I know not what to do,
But my eyes are on You

I know not what is planned for me
But I put all of my Trust in Thee

You are with me in my days of struggle.
You are my stronghold in days of trouble.

I know not what needs to be done
But I keep my eyes on You, The Son

You are with me in our days of delight
And You are with me in my darkest night

In highest peak or in the lowest valley
I know that Your Light will shine on me

I know not what is in the time to come
I only know where my strength comes from

Your Spirit is my guide
In You, I will abide

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O our God, wilt Thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee. Second Chronicles 20:12

The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him. –Nahum 1:7

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. – Psalm 23:4

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. – Isaiah 9:2

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the Vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.” John 15:4

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I almost feel like this is the sequel to “Jesus Will Be With Me.” Haha. 🙂

I didn’t mean to go this long without posting; I’ve been writing a novel as I mentioned in my last post (and it’s really coming along!), but I’m also having some light sensitivity, which makes it uncomfortable and sometimes painful to look at the screen for long periods of time. Therefore, I’ve been doing my best to keep up with writing my novel and reading your wonderful posts in short bursts throughout the day – while wearing sunglasses 😎 – and I haven’t spent much time in composing posts. 😅 It’s getting better now, so hopefully, I’ll get back to posting at least twice a week. 😊

**Special thanks to Margaret from The Word for posting the Isaiah 9:2 verse. Because of that verse and the timing of the posting, I was able to finish two lines that I was so stuck in finishing. 🙂 (And yes, that is a link in her name if you want to check out her wonderful blog. 😉)