love

Expectancy

/ The WheatandTares / 4 Comments

Expectations.

We all have them.

We all set them.

Sometimes, they’re set too high,

And we grow frustrated and angry, sorrowful and discouraged.

Sometimes, they’re set too low,

And we act shocked, amazed, elated and even indignant.

Expectations.

We all receive them.

We all survive through them.

Sometimes, they make us feel warm, welcomed and embraced.

Sometimes, they leave us weary, battered and confused.

Expectations.

Maybe, if we could learn the difference between grace and judgment,

They would be easier to give.

Maybe, if we realized the perfect balance is found in love and absolute truth,

They could be easier to live.

Penned – MG – 11/24/14

Train Them Up

/ The WheatandTares / 10 Comments

The Bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6. As we strive daily to teach our children strong values and Godly principles, I often wonder how we’re doing. Dealing with the ever shifting cultural standards, the pressures from the outside that scream, “You’re too old fashion!” “You’re intolerant!” “You’re behind the times,” I am tempted, almost daily, to question my motives, intentions and purpose for setting these “rules,” these boundaries, these standards by which we live. Having a young teen in our home, one who is striving to find himself, to determine his own faith, ‘not that of mom and dad,’ and to become the man he so longs to be, it causes me, at times, to pause, to ponder, to almost take a poll to see if I’m doing right by him, if I’m teaching him these things for his own good or for mine.
Good parenting doesn’t come easy. Good parenting isn’t a popularity contest. It isn’t a survey we take to see who approves and who doesn’t. Good parenting takes faithfulness to the One who created it. It takes a lot of love, mercy and grace. Good parenting takes tenacity to carry on, to uphold your standards and to stick to your convictions, even when you’re all alone and “nobody else is doing it!”
The best kind of parent has the faith to remain a boundary while all others run away in fear of ridicule. The best kind of parent stands with courage in the face of rejection and loneliness. The best kind of parent has also learned when to say, “I’m sorry. I was wrong,” even when it hurts their pride to do so. The best kind of parent loves beyond the failings, keeps believing beyond the mishaps and keeps cheering beyond the cold winds of adversity. The best kind of parent knows when to push forward and when to pause and let them breathe. Lastly, the best kind of parent keeps loving when the door to their child’s heart has been slammed shut, and it appears he/she will never come back home.
Good parenting skills don’t come easy. It’s not a game in which you roll the dice and see if you hit the jackpot. No, good parenting takes faith. It takes determination. It takes a strong heart to love deep and remain true. It takes a strong mind to think the unthinkable, to plan for the unpredictable and to dream the unimaginable. It takes humility, love and grace for success to come, and, sometimes, that success may not be realized for almost a lifetime.
In this one thing you can rest assured, His Word does not fail. His promises are true. You train that child to follow Him, they will know the way home. Yes, it will have to be their choosing; He will never force their hand. He will never demand their love, but He will be ever present, ever drawing them with His love that is unconditional, His love that never fails.
So, keep the faith, Mom. Hold up that standard, Dad. Remain true to the One who called you to this purpose. You can do this! You can survive! Those little hearts are counting on you. They need your love. They need your guidance. They need your boundaries that protect them from the evil outside. They need your standards that protect them from themselves. Keep the faith! You only have a few years to fight this battle for the souls of the next generation. Don’t give up. Don’t give in, and never let them see you cower in fear. You were made for this. This is your destiny. Win!

…These are the moments when my heart is reassured that we are on the right path…

IMG_4679.JPG

His dream is to be a Christian Rapper…so, we work hard to help him realize his dreams even while he is still young…

IMG_8517.JPG

At bedtime, we find him like this more often than not… (He’s fallen asleep reading his Action Bible.)

IMG_8633.JPG

IMG_4662.JPG

At a summer youth camp, I looked up and saw him immersed in worship…

IMG_6593.JPG

On top of the mountain, he said, “Mom, take this picture. I want to post it to [social media] and talk about pondering things of life and faith…”

IMG_8018.JPG

I told them I’d like to get a picture of them with the mountains behind…
(Note: I didn’t ask them to “huddle up,” but they did.)

…Parents, be encouraged today. Sometimes, it’s the little things that we fail to notice, and sometimes, those are the very things that matter the most! 🙂

The Day of Promise

/ The WheatandTares

IMG_8149

I sat in the back, ever the silent observer. I watch. I speculate. I admire. I reminisce. They stand at the front facing one another. The stress of the day is falling off as they interlock fingers and get lost in one another’s eyes.
Stone
Brick
Burlap

Tomorrow is what they’ve longed for all their life. They think. They plan. They rejoice. They dream. They reach for that sacred ring. The weight of the promise spreading wide and becoming light as they remember the One Who keeps their hearts true.
Gold
Silver
White

She walks the aisle for all to see. She blinks. She smiles. He stares. He desires. They gaze and wonder for the days to come. The realization of hopes coming true and revealing the love forever sealed.
Happiness
Covenant
Faithfulness

Embraced with Hope.
Sealed with Love.

This Day of Promise.

Let Me Be Found True

/ The WheatandTares

Oh, Lord, how do I love thee?

Let me count not the ways

 

I speak of You in public grace

Yet, ignore You in the secret place

I praise You when it’s convenient

But neglect You when it’s intimate

I look to You when I remember and when I’m in need

However, forget You when my schedule is in the lead

 

Oh, Father, please forgive me from this wretched sin

Cleanse my heart and mind from within

Let me not be a person of works alone

And have not a single seed yet to be sown

Change me from this life of chaos and pride

Transform my soul to one in which You may abide

I give You my life, my heart and my breath

I surrender my dreams, my future, my death

 

Oh, my King, how do I love thee?

I pray You can count the ways

 

I desire to serve you in all my ambitions

Yet, we all have fallen short of Your suppositions

I long for the day when our eyes shall finally meet

But I fear for Your glory burns so awfully deep

I yearn to be found worthy, righteous and true

However, You spoke of many by whom Your words would be doomed

 

Oh, Yahweh, please conform my plans to Your ways

Mold me, make me into Your earthen vessel of clay

Redirect my words, my thoughts, my actions and deeds

Set anew my wants and reconstruct them to Your needs

I give You my life, my heart and my breath

I surrender my dreams, my future and my death

 

Penned – MG – 6/30/03

The Chasm

/ The WheatandTares

So many hurting souls

So much sickness

So much pain

They hold onto hopelessness

They hold onto chains 

 

So many broken lives

So much confusion

So much strife

They hold onto faithlessness

They hold onto knives 

 

My heart weeps at the loss

My spirit grieves at the void

The chasms of empty souls deepen

As all wisdom is forsaken

And all fallacies are breathed in 

 

My eyes strain from the hurt

My hands grasp for sanity and relief

This canyon of death is all-consuming

As they jump for loss of reason

And crash to the end, never resuming 

 

There is only on chance of survival

Only One can mend this paroxysm 

 

So many truths to give

So much forgiveness

So much love

He holds the very breaths we breathe

He holds the good gifts from above 

 

So many fulfilling promises

So much mercy

So much grace

He holds the moments within His hands

He holds our very life to embrace 

 

Penned – MG – 10/30/14

You Do Not See

/ The WheatandTares

I stand here with my arms stretched wide;

You see me, but You only turn to hide.

I wait patiently for you to answer my call;

You hear me, but you only build up this wall.

 

I love you My child. Why can’t you understand?

I died for you. From my presence, you, I did not band.

I am there by your side at every twist and turn,

But you do not heed, my words you only burn.

 

Your ‘good’ words, I do not care.

On my back, bloody stripes I did bear.

Your pleasant smile, I do not see.

On my head, a crown of thorns I did heed.

 

Long ago, all of this I did endure.

All for your heart, I hoped to allure.

But still you wait for a better time.

You do not see that the time is only Mine.

Penned – MG – 6/27/99

Growing Old Gracefully

/ The WheatandTares / 4 Comments

IMG_8247-0.JPG

I took this picture today after I had caught a reflection of myself in the mirror smiling. Earlier in the day, I had been at a wedding and ran into an old friend. We were sitting on opposite sides of the room during the ceremony, and she told me later that, when she first saw me, she hadn’t recognized who I was until I smiled. I’m not sure I’ve ever considered my smile unique; yet, after my friend said that, I started thinking…
They say it takes less muscles to smile than it does to frown; so, I enjoy smiling, sometimes, just for the sake of smiling. I smile at my love, our boys, other kiddos, babies, adults, the elderly and even animals. It only takes a second, and it’s like sharing a moment with a stranger without delving too deep. I like it when I smile as I’m introducing myself to someone, and I see the instant change that happens in the other person. That instantaneous change from fear to confidence, from intimidation to acceptance, from apprehension to warmth and welcome.
I love what an authentic, energetic smile can do for someone’s day. It can cause a baby to start cooing and tweens and teens to start laughing hysterically. (Watch it! That can be contagious!) It can make an elderly person feel loved and valued, and it can make a parent feel capable of surviving that never ending day when nothing seems to be going right! Smiles change the face upon which they are worn, and smiles can transform another person’s day! They can change the whole atmosphere of a room, and they can alter attitudes and predispositions. Smiles can change things.
That’s when I decided to smile deliberately for the rest of my days. I want to grow old gracefully; I don’t want to become an old woman shriveled up like a “prune” (metaphorically speaking), clinging to all of the bitterness of life rather than embracing the good. I want to be full of life and vigor up to my dying day. I want to grasp hold of all that is full of delight, peace and joy. I want to be like the 80+ year old ladies in our church who still have laughter in their being, who can give bear hugs that can break a rib and who always has a funny story to share about her week. I want to be one of those ladies who have such beauty within that it just seems to smooth away all the wrinkles without. I want to be full of laughter, joy, peace and love. I want to be like that until my last breath. I want to be remembered as one who captured the greatest moments in life and who seemed to forget the hardships and pain…or at least who learned from these and moved far beyond them!
I believe it’s all a matter of perspective. Life is hard. It is what it is, but we each have a choice to grasp the bitter or embrace the best. I choose to count my blessings, no matter how big or small they may be. I choose to be that little lady who, in spite of pain, turmoil and strife, sees the grace her faith provides. I choose to see, in the midst of the storm, the sunbeams peeking through the clouds. I choose to learn from the hard and live in the grace. I choose to live life deliberately, love deeply, laugh spontaneously.
I want to grow old gracefully. Lord, let it be true in my life.
“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come…Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:25, 30

 

Inasmuch As This

/ The WheatandTares

“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” 

Matthew 25:40

We walk through this life consumed by our own desires.

We say we love Him; yet, our flesh rules day by day.

We look down on those who do not view our trivial opinions.

We mock those who cannot find the only true way.

She lives in a humble shack with no one to lend a smile.

She longs for a simple meal and a night of restful sleep.

She has come so far and yet cannot make it there to pray.

She desires just a friend; yet, you avoid because it’s all too deep.

He sits alone in the pew, hoping you will only look his way.

He has suffered such loss; yet, he finds the strength to carry on.

He only wants to find a helping hand and a friendly face.

You are too consumed with the cause of things to stretch out beyond.

How can we claim to love them if we only reject?

How can we promise freedom if all they see is hatred?

How can we confess Christ if all they hear is lies?

How can we declare righteousness if, because of us, they have bled?

When will our eyes be open to our own hypocrisy?

When will our hearts realize that we have sinned?

When will our feet cease to trample over the wounded?

When will we comprehend we’re only crucifying Him again?

1 Corinthians 13
Penned – MG – 4/25/01

My Heart Says

/ The WheatandTares

I step out on faith, and I feel the whirlwind.

The gusts attempt to break my tired feet.

My anger tempts me to turn and not to bend,

But my heart says not to give in to the defeat.

I walk on not knowing where this will go;

This storm rages all around my weary head.

My sin tempts me to rebel so You will not know,

But my heart says to remember what You have said.

I run into Your loving arms, still fearing all Your wrath;

The rains are pouring down now on top of me.

My fears tempt me to put on this shiny mask,

But my heart says to uncover and allow You to see.

I stand in the great shadow of Your grace;

These clouds are cleansing from within me now.

My heart tempts me to hide my prideful face,

But my heart says to You only will I bow.

Penned – MG – 8/1/99

Our Love

/ The WheatandTares

IMG_8149.JPG

Love is, in life, such a precious part.

It is so fragile;

You could easily break my heart.

Yet love is so strong;

My love for you will never part.

Love will allow me not to turn away

Wherever God may lead us.

It will cause me to stay

Through joy and through pain.

Love will teach us strength;

Through heartache, we will gain.

Love will keep you close in spirit, body and mind.

Even if tomorrow you leave this world,

In my heart, our love I will always find.

So trust me with your heart, for I will tenderly take care.

Now, I give you mine to love and to cherish for the rest of our days.

If you will only love me, to Him we will give our hearts alone to bear.

Penned – MG – 9/93