Suffering...

SUFFERING

“They will go around in great pain and will become so hungry that they will try to find help on Earth and in Heaven.   They will find only trouble and darkness, terrible trouble and deepest darkness”, said the Lord to Isaiah.

Isaiah 8: 21-22

When contemplating suffering

              That dreaded thing that

Haunts our dreams,

Cloaks our world with despair,

And can occupy our every thought;

When contemplating suffering

Our hearts throb with fatigue,
Our heads spin uncontrollably,

Our fight or flight instincts take hold of us;

When contemplating suffering

I, like Paul the scholar,

And like Isaiah the prophet,

Have hope of a day when it will end.

Suffering will continue to exist in the broken world.

BUT

God has a plan to end it.

His plan is fail safe,

Perfect and made with immense love.

God planned Jesus His only Son to come
To save us from sin and darkness.

Jesus came, died and rose again,

Jesus our Lord, Saviour and God’s beloved Son.

And one day he will come again to finish what he started,

Restoring this broken world, our relationship with God,

And ending suffering forever.

But those who have suffered will no longer be in pain. Those who have walked in the dark have seen a great light.    And it shines upon everyone who lives in the land of the shadow of death.  Our Lord, you have made our nation stronger.  Because of you, its people are glad and celebrate!  .  .  .  You have broken the power of those who abused and enslaved your people.  You have rescued them.

Isaiah 9: 1-4

Jen

“Everything that was a gain for me
I considered to be a loss because of Christ.
More than that, I also consider everything to be loss
in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things
and consider them filth,
so that I may gain Christ.”
Philippians 3: 7 and 8.

There once was a girl.
Kind, brave and generous.
For her heart belonged to God.

As she grew she taught others she knew,
From the small and weak to the tall and strong.
She did so consciously and unconsciously,
Because her heart belonged to God.

She continues to develop in skill, and in strength,
And with this, ventures into the unknown.
Without her large family and her many friends.
But go she will, for her heart belongs to God.

Why she goes, heaven knows!
She trusts in the one who sends her.
Her heart belongs to God.

So now, we must bow to the one who made us,
Praying that he will look after her;
blessing her and keeping her safe.
And so will she pray, for her heart belongs to God.

Jennifer Adams obeys her heavenly Father.
She knows him. She trusts him. We know she is wise.
Her heart belongs to God.

Our loving Father, bless Jen in all she does.
Introduce her to her siblings in the country,
to her new work, and her new life.
Help us all to remember and emulate this courageous,
compassionate, and selfless women.
With love we commend our wonderful sister into your care.
Our sister, who is, well and truly, your daughter.
This we pray in Jesus name, Amen.

Choo

Dedication: To Choo, who we remember with much fondness. 

Choo was a rescue dog, we are still not sure who rescued who.
Choo was a gorgeous, daggy dog.
Choo was always a very dear, very intelligent, selfless, and protective animal.
Choo was a family dog, sure to make the saddest heart smile.

She had the goofiest grin.
She made an effort to be with her people, even if moving hurt her.
She was most contented when she was with those she loved, chicken or not.

Choo taught me to relax, take it slow and treasure each moment.
Choo made everyone's days brighter and better.
Choo would dance when we came home.
Choo would sleep by your side, twitching and groaning with content if the mood took her.

She was the best of companions.
She didn't ask questions, or pester you for attention, knowing that you where there was enough.
She was there for us all, from first to last.

R.I.P you wonderful and beautiful hound. Best of friends.

A Lightened Load 

'Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others'
Philippians 2:4

I have been guilty of the former, particularly of recent date.
I got so wrapped up in my wants, my needs, and my pain that I could not emerge from them.
Absorbed by my own interests, I could no longer look to those of others,
feeling and showing concern for them.

Now, once again, I awoke deeply concerned, and tried to untangle myself.
Yet I could not do this.
So I turned to my saviour and my God.
I pleaded with him to free me from my apathy.
He showed me grace and taught me to trust him, and to feel again.

A weight fell off me and I was reminded of the story of Eustace from 'The Chronicles of Narnia'.
Of when he needed  Aslan to remove the scales from him
to become human again, for he could not do this for himself.
As each layer came off I felt my muscles relax, and my breathing return to normal.

I thank you, my Father, for freeing me from my sin, and keeping me safe.
I will rejoice in you -
Always.

After returning from a three week trip to London I wrote this poem...

London

Crowds, smoke, historic buildings.

This is London.

People, places,  picturesque parks.

This is London

Dull- coloured buildings, 

bright flowers and greenery.  

This is London.

Echoes from long- ago, calling

from elderly books in their cozy shops,

and antiquities in Museums. 

This is London.

Sharing and experiencing new things;

old pubs, markets, and parks.

And doing this with those you love.

This is London.

Flying home, the world below.

Touching down, see the world around.

Gum trees, friends and family, long walks,

sunsets, work, and clear air.

Hello Sydney.

A Daughter of God

I was born into a dim place.

I didn't know where I fitted.

I looked to others to show me how to live.

When I was a teenageer I found a reason to live.

I stopped living my own way.

I started loving God and began to look to him for guidance.

I was reborn and accepted into a bright community. 

A family with the same father who teachers us how to love one another.

Today life makes sense. 

I am a child of God, and he teaches me to learn and grow and love as his daughter.

1 Peter 1:23

For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. 

Note: This is a poem written on behalf of Christians that have died and gone to be with God the Father.

Remember me 

When I go remember me.

For you are left and I can no longer be on your right. 

Remember me, for I am gone.

Grief is strong and hard to bear.

Yet all of us have dealings with it.

May our Heavenly Father aid you from here on in, for I cannot.

Continue life's journey with your load,

of photographs and places we can no longer go.

Remember me, for I am gone.

There are traces of me, in faces and hearts
of  people you know. They are living and whole.

As I pray you will grow to be once again.

Please keep your merry laugh, as the days move past.

Emerge from the fog of grief, with God in your heart.  

Remember me, for I am gone.