Father’s Day…What a Day

June 18, 2022June 18, 2022 / The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

Father’s Day…

What a day to celebrate.

What a day to contemplate.

Is a father one who rules with an iron fist?

Is a father one who grants every wish list?

Father’s Day fills the heart with love, fear, hatred, and confusion.

Father’s Day fills the heart with suspicion, wisdom, laughter, and illusion.

What a day to let the soul ponder.

What a day to let the mind wander.

Is a father one who encourages, advises and cheers?

Is a father one who avoids, neglects and jeers?

Father’s Day can fill the heart with strength and admiration.

Father’s Day can fill the heart with joy and appreciation.

What a day to let accumulate.

What a day to let captivate.

A true Father is one who admires, enwraps, uplifts and esteems.

A true Father is one who confronts, forgives, purifies and redeems.

Thankful for My Heavenly Father on this Father’s Day that is tough on my heart and so many others…

Penned – MG – 6/18/22

A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, in God in His holy habitation.
Psalm 68:5

Striving to be Kind

June 17, 2022June 15, 2022 / The WheatandTares

I have read so many articles from those declaring we must love the addict, regardless of the hell they bring to you.

We must strive to be kind.

Be loving. Be sincere. Be gracious.

For they are hurting people, simply misunderstood.

I’ve read stories from daughters and sons who were straightforward and blunt with their parental addict.

Yet, once that parent is gone, the adult child grieves the loss and the “lack of love” they gave.

He states, “You never have that moment to return and be helpful.”

She states, “Once they’re gone, you live with the regrets of what you could’ve done, what you should’ve done.”

We must strive to be kind.

Be loving. Be sincere. Be gracious.

For they are hurting people, simply misunderstood.

Well, I personally must disagree with your memes-life approach.

I adamantly oppose your proclamation of fantasy.

Is not true love when we protect those most vulnerable among us?

Is not true sincerity when we call good, good and evil, evil, not the other way around?

Is not true graciousness when we recognize truth as it is and remove danger from the innocent?

I will never argue the merits of forgiveness and grace. That is what we should all give and receive unconditionally.

But truth must be embraced above all else for true healing to come.

Truth doesn’t rescind love.

Truth doesn’t nullify kindness.

Truth will bring recognition, repentance and regeneration.

Truth will bring forgiveness.

Forgiveness doesn’t always equal reconciliation, and grace doesn’t mean tolerance for depravity.

Sometimes, the kindest action of love is confrontation and consequences.

Sometimes, the kindest action of acceptance is refusal of evil and encircling good.

For in confrontation, mending of hearts can begin.

And in consequences, recoiling from harm can start.

So let us never strive for kindness at the expense of truth.

For the truth will always set one free.

And you shall know the truth, and the truthshall make you free.”
John 8:32

Twisted Heart

June 16, 2022 / The WheatandTares

You say you love me, and my heart twists in a knot.

Butterflies fly and my head is light.

My mind wants to believe, but my heart has been deceived.

So, I pray your words are true while I doubt their veracity.

I find myself desperate for your affections, yet shielding my emotions.

I hear myself reply to your promises with longings of my own,

Yet, I don’t trust you to be faithful.

I don’t trust you to be true.

Why does my heart twist and turn and refuse to accept yours?

Why does my heart twist and turn your words to mean ill-will to mine?

Oh God, forgive my betrayal.

Please, forgive my unbelief.

You are my Creator, my Source, my eternal King.

You are the mender of my heart, untwist this vile thing.

Return me to my first love, and purify my soul to sing.

Penned – MG – 6/13/22

The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
Jeremiah 17:9

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
Psalm 51:7-12

Run Away

June 14, 2022June 13, 2022 / The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

My heart wants to run away from all the chaos, all the pain.

My mind wants to shut down from all the turmoil, all the chains.

My soul wants to hide from all the torment, all the insane.

So, I go to the solitude place.

The place to hear my heart beating again to the rhythm of Your waves.

The place to see my mind clearing the clutter, to remember You hold my days.

The place to feel my soul settle the wandering, to understand Your peace that guides my way.

The solitude place where the noise stands still in the beauty of Your face, where the crowds fade in the light of Your grace.

Penned – MG – 6/12/22

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
Psalm 46:10

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
Colossians 3:15

Grief: It Keeps Rolling Just as the World

May 25, 2022May 25, 2022 / The WheatandTares

Grief comes in like a freight train, but it leaves like heat on a summer day.

It just keeps rolling in as the earth keeps turning.

It keeps changing like the wind in a hurricane.

It keeps piling like a logger in a sawmill.

It never stops for me or for you, no matter the title, no matter the story.

Grief is like a bully on the playground, coming in full force, but never relenting or growing shy.

It just keeps plowing like a farmer with a new field.

It keeps twisting like a mountain road on a new journey.

It keeps trodding forward like a stallion set free from a war.

It never halts for you or me, no matter the status, no matter the history.

Grief just simply must be received and processed, even analyzed and yes, sometimes, scrutinized.

Once it’s embraced, it can be positioned in the right place, but if rejected, it never truly releases.

The world moves on and so does grief.

So, let us move with it, or we will never learn to breathe again.

My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:26

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.
Psalm 34:18

Pride

April 5, 2022 / The WheatandTares

The struggle for privacy

Fear or Conceit

No matter what causes you to hide, the result is always wounding pride.

The concealment of shame is revealed in the blame, and it’s exposed in the rain.

The seething, veiled anger causes pointed fingers, refusal to linger.

The struggle for privacy

Terror or Pain

No matter the attempt to shield, the answer is never to yield.

The removal of truth is shown forth in the uncouth, and like pulling an eye tooth.

The reeling emotions causes rare demotions, and inner commotions.

The struggled for privacy

Real or Fake

No matter the desire to perform, the reply is always to conform.

The hiding of faith is displayed in scaiths, and expressed in the haith.

The disclosure of reality causes exposure of brutality and the coming finality.

Pride

Pended – MG – 4/5/22

Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18

Blindsided

March 22, 2022 / The WheatandTares / 7 Comments

You came out of nowhere.
Although, I knew you were always there.
You hit me without warning.
Although, I was expecting it everyday.

Blindsided

You flew in like a hurricane.
I saw all the warnings, but I kept on driving.
You landed like an earthquake.
I was wondering, waiting, but I rode on the train

Blindsided

You demanded as a tidal wave.
I resisted, yet you kept pushing and taking.
You dominated as a tsunami.
I revolted, yet you devoured and consumed.

Blindsided

You absorbed like a vacuum bomb.
I can’t breathe, and you come back for more
You depleted like a hand grenade.
I can’t feel, and you return to draw again.

Blindsided

You prance forward as a golden peacock.
I weep, yet not for me, for your hidden demise.
You shout as a heralded trumpeter.
I grieve, yet not for me, for your veiled destruction.

Blindsided

He will come out of nowhere.
Although, you’ve known He’s always there.
He will hit you without warning.
Although, you’ve been expecting Him everyday.

I find myself screaming across the chasm
You don’t have to live to die

Blindsided

Penned- MG -3/21/22

Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
Revelation 3:3

Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.
Revelation 16:15

Living in the Overflow

February 10, 2022February 12, 2022 / The WheatandTares

We all live in the overflow…

But which overflow you choose is vital to your vitality and peace.

You can choose to live in the overflow of anxiety: no peace can be found here, no rest for your weariness, no strengthening for your bones, no joy for your sanity.

But this choice is on the list. It’s your decision to pick it from the bunch.

You can choose to live in the overflow of anger: utter rage will consume you, suspicious and discomfort will be your bed and pillow, every moment filled with drama, every relationship teeters on the edge of fire.

But this choice is on the list. It’s your decision to pluck it from the bundle.

You can choose to live in the overflow of nothingness: no happiness can be found here, no purpose for your apathy, no relief for your depression, no clarity for your fog.

But this choice is on the list. It’s your decision to pull it from the plunder.

You can choose to live in the overflow of sorrow: grief will swallow you, tears will be your blanket, every second enveloped by brokenness, every friendship walking on the knife’s edge of the grave.

But this choice is on the list. It’s your decision to grasp it from the pile.

Or you can choose to live in the overflow of grace: no loneliness can diminish you, no indifference can devalue you, no hatred can murder you, no fear can unravel you.

It is your choice. You have the ability to select from the narrative and create your own story.

The freedom of truth is waiting.

Come and drown in the overflow.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13

Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
John 8:36

The Daddy-Daughter Dance

February 1, 2022 / The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

February… Oh, how it begins the painful dance of my heart each year.

It’s not that I’m angry. It’s not that I’m hating what I see. It’s just a longing within my once little girl heart that will never be fulfilled.

The beautiful pictures plastered all over social media bring sweet memories never beheld. Precious relationships promising treasured protection and defense for all her days.

His large frame casts a shadow not of harm or destruction but of love and nurture. Her petite form is sheltered, cherished and adored. They stand in parade for all to appreciate and celebrate.

I am thankful for his place in her life. I am grateful for her desire for his strength and fortitude. I truly am.

Yet, my heart breaks time and again for the wee little one standing at the door, her packed bags awaiting his never return. She forms her own dance, spinning, twirling, hoping for his hand; yet, he never extends it.

Someway, somehow, she makes it to the One who holds the key. With tears streaming, hopes shattered and dreams crushed, He takes her into His arms, and swirls her life into a new masquerade where she can smile again and forever more be held where she always wished to be. ❤️

The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17