life

Something Out of Nothing

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

Is it possible that something that doesn’t look like anything–can still amount to something? …I’ve known a face in a mirror much like that…Could it be –no one receives the peace of God without giving thanks to God? –Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts

God is a master of this. Creating something out of nothing… The “week” of creation taught us that. There was nothing; He spoke, and there was light…the earth was void and without form; He spoke, and there was earth and sky. There were no humans; He formed them, and man was made from the dust of the earth and woman from man’s rib. He is the master of creating something from nothing. 

So, why is it when it comes to ourselves, our lives, our dreams that we allow doubt and discouragement to creep in and hinder us from being whom we’ve dreamt to be? Why do we allow the circumstances in which we find ourselves to convince us of a different path than the one He set before us? If He said it, we should believe it. If He directed it, we should have confidence for it. 

I think too often we put too much faith in ourselves, and because we falter, we believe the promise wasn’t for us. Too often, we look to our own strength, our own abilities rather than His strength and His abilities. No wonder we get so weak! We can do nothing without Him. Oh, but when we put our hope and trust in Him, the sky is our limit!! 

Let Him in today. Let Him have control of your life. Let Him invest in your hopes and dreams. Just test Him, and see what He can do. He creates beauty out of ashes. He designs masterpieces out of nothing. That’s His specialty, and He loves you! He is God. Why would we expect anything less from Him?

Growth And Change

/ The WheatandTares

Round and round we go.

So much complexity.

It’s hard to see clearly.

We fuss. We scrap.  We scream.

Nothing is ever as it seems.

Yesterday is gone.

Never again can you grasp it.

Tomorrow is already here.

I can’t ever seem to find it.

Your memories try to grab it.

We live such different lives.

You go your way and I’ll go mine.

I live by my choices.

You live by your circumstance.

How can we ever find a way to dance.

You fell for love and all lost out.

You missed the times You were needed about.

You went away. Destroyed what could have been.

Never ever to be seen again.

You changed, transformed before my very eyes.

You stopped living for joy and lived for the lies.

You long for things to be the same.

I have moved on, grown and changed.

You are now desperate to be like others.

But now my life is consumed with another.

You will only find what was lost when you look to my Brother.
Penned – MG – 4/25/15

Can’t You See

/ The WheatandTares

Every day you bite and claw and push against the hands extended to you

You constantly fight and punch and kick against the love we try to give

When rescue is near you run away

Blaming someone else for your mistake

Will you not turn before it is too late?

Can’t you see the love set before you?

Can’t you see His heart will take away the pain?

Can’t you hear Him calling your name?

You fight back like a caged animal

Shaking, shuttering, scratching, snatching

You constantly battle, waging war against those who would help

Never realizing you are simply fighting against yourself

Can’t you see the grace set before you?

Can’t you see His heart will take away the pain?

Can’t you hear Him calling your name?

There will come a day when it will be finished  

Then there will be no more chances 

The judgment will be done

But until then…

He will not give up on you 

He will not turn away 

He will continue to call day after day

Will you ever turn to His way?


Penned – MG – 4/25/15

Not Without Hope

/ The WheatandTares / 3 Comments

My heart was heavy today, thinking of all the brokenness in this world. The weight of it resting upon my shoulders like a wet, woolen blanket. Tears filled my eyes as I pondered the wounded, the shattered, and the lost. Heaviness so intense, I could hardly breathe. Air stagnant with heartache, weariness and emptiness. So many wandering in this place. So many without a face.

I drove by this house sitting beside the road. Abandoned, dark, damaged and alone. People driving by, hurrying to their destinations, never stopping to see, never stopping to care. Shoved off to the side, barricade built, weeds and trees rummaging to find a home. Broken down roof, shattered windows, busted doors, all haunted by lost potential.

The broken lives of those lost are a lot like this old house. They take the abuse, receive the ridicule, accept the blame, wondering all the while if anyone cares as they wander aimlessly in the dark. Others are like those who moved this old house. Hard working, simply pragmatic, fighting to succeed at the task. More are like the ones who vandalized it. Kicking, biting, clawing, shattering the dreams of a once well made life.

Can you see them? Can you see yourself?  Who are you? Where are you going? Do you feel that all is lost? Do you wonder if there could still be any life inside? I am here to tell you. I am here to help you see, if there is still breath in your being, there is still hope. If there still a beating of your heart, there is still a chance. For your life is never so lost that He cannot see you. You are never so far gone that He cannot hear.

See that foundation? He placed it there in your heart before you were even born. It is that longing you feel to find something of worth, something to adore. It is that deep inner desire to be more than you are today. He placed it there. It is His drawing of your heart to bring you love, hope and life beyond your dreams.

He can rebuild a life broken. He can mend dreams that have been shattered. He can give hope to the hopeless. He can bring life to the lifeless. All can be renewed if you will just let Him in. Let Him see the abandonment, the pain, the desperation. He can change and transform. All you must do is believe.

Wrapped Inside

/ The WheatandTares

I see you wrapped inside those heavy chains

You think you have nothing more to gain

The smell of death is yet growing stronger

You hold out just a few moments longer

 

I try to reach to you, but you push me away

I try to stop you, but you keep me at bay

Why are you leaving, there’s no one to know

Why are you running, there’s nowhere to go 


The chains, they bite and claw at your skin

The weight of them breaks you, never allowing  to bend

The nights are closing in, the screams can now be heard

The bondage you long for makes this all absurd


Can’t you see Him, His light shines so bright 

He longs not to harm you, but to make this world now right 

Can’t you hear Him calling out your name

If you will but love Him, you will never be the same 


Penned – MG – 4/22/15


First Priority vs. Last Resort

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

I want to ask you today, do you live your life by first priorities or by the last resort? I mean, we all do it at some point, don’t we? Delay something until the inevitable happens…yeah, you gotta go to that dentist before they have to do surgery or something!

Let me explain a little more of what I mean…

FIRST PRIORITY

– you set out to do it…First

– you have lots of energy and focus for it

– you will forsake other things for this one… Often, all others things for this one

– your failure rate is lowered b/c you have incredible energy, intense concentration, deep passion and determination to

complete the task

– you willingly suffer pain, ridicule, criticism, heartache, even complete loneliness…if that’s what it takes

– you’ll change your hair, your clothes, your house, your town or location

– you’ll rise early, stay up late, not eat, not sleep, just to accomplish the goal.

– many times, you will quickly, or at least determinedly, alter your whole LIFE for this first priority

If you don’t believe me, let’s plug in a few words for that phrase “first priority”… Boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, children, your BFF, sick or dying parent, new friends, new job, new position or title. We will do a lot to accomplish those first priorities.

But what about those last resorts? …those things that we wait and we ponder on …those ideas we “need more information on before we can complete” … (😉 wink) …those people maybe we “put on the back burner” for a little while …

You know, those things we just don’t accomplish or deal with at the onset…

LAST RESTORT

– this option usually isn’t much fun

– this option isn’t always attractive or exciting

– this choice may cost you emotions, energy, even suffering

– this choice may cost you monetary means or pride

– you put this off until there are no more options

– you have tried everything else with no success

– often, getting here is a result of procrastination, fear, laziness or even rebellion

– often, when you get here, you have lost your dream, your purpose, your passion and, sometimes, even your hope

Shall I name a few? Let’s see…

bad habits, weight-loss, doctors’ appointments, that 1500 page textbook reading, annual reports, or maybe it’s people… The in-laws and the outlaws, your boss, that friend that really gets on your nerves but keeps wanting to get together for coffee, …or maybe it’s just…..your mother! Ahh, those last resorts. They are definitely a sore spot, aren’t they?

Now, I’d like each of us to take a minute and examine our hearts to see where God fits in. Is He our first priority, or is He our last resort? Is He at the top of the list or the bottom? Do we give Him our first, our best or our last, our leftovers?

Living a life with habits which lead toward first priorities helps you to have better focus, more energy. It causes you to be more dependable and committed, and it saves you a lot of headache and worry in the end. If you’ll put God at the top of your priority list, you’ll be able to see more clearly and you’ll be able to find strength in what you must accomplish. It doesn’t mean everything will always be perfect, or without struggle, it simply means, you’ll have an internal peace and strength that will help you through those times. You’ll find as you consistently place Him at the top, those last resorts will be less frequently needed. As you consistently look to Him as your highest priority, you will find that many things just seem to “fall into place” a little easier.

Living a life with habits which always leads you to the last resort CAN be done; however, you do more surviving than you do thriving. You do more worrying than you do smiling. You do more crying than you do laughing. The Word says, “The JOY of the Lord is my strength.” Ask yourself, where is your joy today? Where are your concerns? Where are your priorities?

God is a gracious and loving God, and if you choose Him as a last resort, He will still love you. He will still forgive you. He will still help you, and He can still change and transform you! He will never neglect your cry simply because you choose Him last, but choosing Him first, as a first priority, helps YOU live a more full life. It helps you avoid more pitfalls. It helps you to love more deeply, and it helps you to laugh more freely!

Choosing God as your first priority helps YOU more than it does Him! 😉 So, if I can, let me encourage you today to choose God as you FIRST priority; so, you don’t have to seek Him out as your last resort!

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

Hidden Within

/ The WheatandTares

Tears fall in the night

Smiles shine in the morning bright

Weary souls hide in the light

Broken hearts stand with all their might


Shadows linger where they don’t belong

Children flinch from being done wrong

Little hands clinch to remain strong 

Tiny whispers dark are like a song

When will this pain ever end
Can His love really bring a mend
Will to Him your heart bend
His Son, grace deep, He did send
For only you, he loved so much
For this sin, He suffered such
To some, this faith seems a crutch
To me, this love my life will clutch
PENNED – MG – 4/14/15
 

Joy in the Sorrow

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

We only experience true joy when we’ve experienced deep pain. 

We only experience true strength when we’ve experienced great weakness. 

We appreciate the sunshine when we’ve been surrounded by rain. 

We are truly grateful for home when we’ve been away for a long time. 

We all know the feeling when the day has been unending, and we’re so thankful for our own bed. We are more appreciative, because we’ve recognized the loss of it.  

A parent values their child most when that child has been lost to him for a time. 

A wife truly cherishes her covenant when she sees him marry the other woman. 

A husband really esteems his wife after she has escaped death.  

A child treasures a friend when he thought all was forgotten. 

We get comfortable in routine. 

We grow complacent in the mundane.

We grow ungrateful in the familiar. 

Sometimes, hard times come to shake us from the average. 

Sometimes, trials come to move us beyond the commonplace. 

Often times, the trouble will pull us out of the habitual and into a brighter tomorrow. 

So, when the storms of life come,

Don’t fight. 

Don’t resist. 

Just walk out in the rain.

Just learn to grow. 

Learn to love. 

Learn the value. 

Just turn your face to the waterfall. 

Just let it wash over you. 

 Just dance. 


PENNED – MG – 4/13/15

Fall Into It (4)

/ The WheatandTares

Fall into PEACE

Fall into peace like you’re falling back onto your incredibly soft pillow top or down mattress (or whatever you prefer), and you’re about to get the best night’s sleep you’ve had in your life! Perfect peace doesn’t depend on the situation or the persons involved. It is a quiet knowing of the soul that says, “Everything’s gonna be alright.” It’s a settling within that is beyond settling. It’s a peace that surpasses all understanding. It’s that moment when “all hades” has broken loose, and you sit back and breathe…and maybe even chuckle, because you know within your heart and soul that no matter what may come, “All is well with my soul.”

Fall Into It (3)

/ The WheatandTares

Fall into JOY

Fall into joy like you laughed, as a child, when you “turned over your tickle box.” That moment at five years old, when you got the giggles so bad, you couldn’t stop even at the warning of a spanking from dad. True joy is not only laughter, but it’s attitude. It’s a perspective. It’s an outlook. When true joy bubbles up, it can’t be contained. It can’t be hidden. It can’t be consumed by only one person. True joy changes your mood. It changes the way you see the circumstances. It changes how you see the future, how you see your destiny. Joy changes the very atmosphere. The Word of God says Jesus came to give us “joy unspeakable and full of glory.” This kind of joy changes hearts. It changes sight. It changes lives.