And God said ‘No’

I asked God to take away my pride,
And God said, "No." He said it was not for Him to take away,
But for me to give up.
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole,
and God said "No." He said her spirit is whole,
Her body is only temporary.
I asked God to grant me patience,
And God said "No." He said that patience is a byproduct of tribulation,
It isn't granted, it's earned.
I asked God to give me happiness,
And God said "No." He said He gives blessings,
Happiness is up to me.
I asked God to spare me pain,
And God said, "No." He said "Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to Me."
I asked God to make my spirit grow
And God said, "No." He said I must grow on my own.
But he will prune me to make me fruitful.
I asked God to help me love others,
As much as He loves me,
And God said "Ah, finally, you have the idea."

By Claudia Miden Weisz

Poetry

Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality but an escape from personality. But, of course, only those we have personality and emotion know what it means to want to escape from these things.

- Emily Dickinson

The Road Less Travelled

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

- Robert Frost

Searching

In truth everything and everyone
Is a shadow of the Beloved,
And our seeking is His seeking
And our words are His words...
We search for Him here and there,
while looking right at Him.
Sitting by His side, we ask:
"O Beloved, where is the Beloved?"

- Rumi, poet and mystic (1207-1273)

Life

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Into his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.

- Emily Dickinson, from "The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson" (Boston: Little, Brown, and Company)

Building

We are blind until we see
That in the human plan
Nothing is worth the making
If it does not make the man.
Why build these cities glorious
If man unbuilded goes?
In vain we build the world
Unless the builder also grows.

- Vince Lombardi

You are Old, Father William

"Repeat 'You are old, Father William,'" said the Caterpillar. Alice folded her hands, and began: --

"You are old, father William," the young man said,

"And your hair has become very white;

And yet you incessantly stand on your head --

Do you think, at your age, it is right?"

"In my youth," father William replied to his son,

"I feared it would injure the brain;

But now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,

Why, I do it again and again."

"You are old," said the youth, "as I mentioned before,

And have grown most uncommonly fat;

Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door --

Pray, what is the reason of that?"

"In my youth," said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,

"I kept all my limbs very supple

By the use of this ointment -- one shilling the box --

Allow me to sell you a couple."

"You are old," said the youth, "and your jaws are too weak

For anything tougher than suet;

Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak --

Pray, how did you manage to do it?"

"In my youth," said his father, "I took to the law,

And argued each case with my wife;

And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,

Has lasted the rest of my life."

"You are old," said the youth; one would hardly suppose

That your eye was as steady as ever;

Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose --

What made you so awfully clever?"

"I have answered three questions, and that is enough,"

Said his father; "don't give yourself airs!

Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?

Be off, or I'll kick you down stairs!"

"That is not said right," said the Caterpillar.

"Not quite right, I'm afraid," said Alice timidly;

"some of the words have got altered."

"It is wrong from beginning to end," said the Caterpillar ...

Indeed it is! This poem parodies Robert Southey's "The Old Man's Comforts And How He Gained Them."

by Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)

Love Loves You Too

Some people get to make the news
Some people get to say what's true
Everybody's got to find their own way through
But if you love, then love loves you too.

Some people get to fly by night
Some people get to shine a light
Everybody's got to find their way through
But if you love, then love loves you too.

Some of us hunger for the finer things
Some lust for power like ancient kings
Some have to leave behind everything they thought they knew
Some people don't know how much trouble they can brew

Some take the burden of another's pain
Some spend forever for a moment's gain
Everybody's got to find their way through
But if you love, then love loves you too.

from Bruce Cockburn, "Dart to the Heart" (1994)

John Stott on How the Cross Speaks to Injustice and Suffering

How does the cross of Jesus speak to a world of pain, poverty, and injustice? After explaining the full range of biblical ideas of the atonement, Stott concludes his book with a chapter entitled "Suffering and glory." He describes the miserable conditions of millions of people who live in shanty towns of Africa and Asia, the barriadas of Latin American and the favelas of Brazil.
Then he tells a story about an imaginary poor man from the slums of Brazil who climbs 2,310 feet up the mountain to the colossal statue of Christ that towers above Rio de Janeiro—"The Christ of Corcovado." After the difficult climb, the poor man finally reaches Jesus and says,
I have climbed up to meet you, Christ, from the filthy, confined quarters down there … to put before you, most respectfully, these considerations: there are 900,000 of us down there in the slums of that splendid city … And you … do you remain here at Corcovado surrounded by divine glory? Go down there to the favelas … Don't stay away from us; live among us and give us new faith in you and in the Father. Amen.
Stott asks, "What would Christ say in response to such an entreaty? Would he not say '[in the suffering of the cross] I did come down to live among you, and I live among you still'"?
Then Stott adds,

We have to learn to climb the hill called Calvary, and from that vantage-ground survey all life's tragedies. The cross does not solve the problem of suffering, but it supplies the essential perspective from which to look at it … . Sometimes we picture [God] lounging, perhaps dozing, in some celestial deck-chair, while the hungry millions starve to death … . It is this terrible caricature of God which the cross smashes to smithereens.

John Stott, The Cross of Christ (InterVarsity Press, 2006), pp. 320, 333

When She Opened the Door

Life-changing encounters often come unexpectedly by Gordon MacDonald

It was 50 years ago this month that a mentor-friend said to me casually, "I've met a woman that I think would be a great wife for you."

This was no small comment coming from a man who was older than me, certainly wiser, and far more grounded in his relationship to God. His counsel (and rebukes) had always been trustworthy and valued. So for him to say he'd met a woman, who would make a "great wife" for me, certainly caught my attention!

When I asked for a description of this mystery woman, my friend described someone who seemed a perfect combination. To borrow a famous line from Keith Miller, she sounded like a combination of Mother Teresa, Betty Crocker, and Elizabeth Taylor—a perfect woman.

When he finished his glowing description of this "goddess," I insisted that I must meet her, and soon! I feared that some potential suitor might meet her before I could. In fact, I pressed my friend so hard to schedule an introduction that, finally, to get me off his back, he made a phone call. Minutes later we he had arranged breakfast with her the next morning.

The next day, at the appointed hour, my friend and I stood at her apartment door and knocked. It is said that we tend to form lasting impressions of people within 45 seconds of meeting them (thank you, Malcolm Gladwell) and that could explain, in part, what happened to me 50 years ago when I was introduced to Gail Akerlow.

Below is my recollection of that day. I wrote these words, and, a few days ago, read them to Gail during a candle-lit dinner.

When I knocked that morning,
You opened the door.

When you opened the door,
I saw a vibrant smile,
Heard a cheery voice,
Felt a firm hand.
And instantly I knew that I was meeting The one whom I'd been seeking.

When you opened the door,
I smelled breakfast, lovingly prepared,
Heard beautiful background melodies,
Saw order and felt restfulness.
And instantly I knew I'd come under the spell
Of someone who knew what home was all about.

When you opened the door,
I sensed a partner
Who loved to dream,
Who longed to serve.
And instantly I knew that you were someone
With whom I could share my life.

When you opened the door,
I had this insight:
That I was face to face with a woman
Who could love me into maturity.
And instantly I knew
That I could love her just as well.

When you opened the door,
I was sure that Christ was right beside you,
That you were loyal to him,
That you were his follower.
And instantly I knew
That we would walk with him together.

When you opened the door,
I warmed to your welcome.
for at that door I met the woman
That God had promised if I'd trust him.
And instantly I was sure
That everything in life was going to be different.

Thank you for opening the door.

A month later I asked Gail to marry me. Five months later we walked the aisle.

Here are some lessons from my story:

• You never know when a life-altering event (good or bad) may emerge out of the most casual of conversations.
• Make sure you have friends with the gift of discernment. And if you're the friend, make sure you don't squander your influence.
• If the Holy Spirit is our guide, it is prudent to begin each day making sure that you are "guidable."

Even if they are schlocky, write poems for the people that you dearly love.

source unknown

When She Opened the Door

Life-changing encounters often come unexpectedly

by Gordon MacDonald

It was 50 years ago this month that a mentor-friend said to me casually, "I've met a woman that I think would be a great wife for you."
This was no small comment coming from a man who was older than me, certainly wiser, and far more grounded in his relationship to God. His counsel (and rebukes) had always been trustworthy and valued. So for him to say he'd met a woman, who would make a "great wife" for me, certainly caught my attention!
When I asked for a description of this mystery woman, my friend described someone who seemed a perfect combination. To borrow a famous line from Keith Miller, she sounded like a combination of Mother Teresa, Betty Crocker, and Elizabeth Taylor—a perfect woman.
When he finished his glowing description of this "goddess," I insisted that I must meet her, and soon! I feared that some potential suitor might meet her before I could. In fact, I pressed my friend so hard to schedule an introduction that, finally, to get me off his back, he made a phone call. Minutes later we he had arranged breakfast with her the next morning.
The next day, at the appointed hour, my friend and I stood at her apartment door and knocked. It is said that we tend to form lasting impressions of people within 45 seconds of meeting them (thank you, Malcolm Gladwell) and that could explain, in part, what happened to me 50 years ago when I was introduced to Gail Akerlow.
Below is my recollection of that day. I wrote these words, and, a few days ago, read them to Gail during a candle-lit dinner.

When I knocked that morning,
You opened the door.

When you opened the door,
I saw a vibrant smile,
Heard a cheery voice,
Felt a firm hand.
And instantly I knew that I was meeting The one whom I'd been seeking.

When you opened the door,
I smelled breakfast, lovingly prepared,
Heard beautiful background melodies,
Saw order and felt restfulness.
And instantly I knew I'd come under the spell
Of someone who knew what home was all about.

When you opened the door,
I sensed a partner
Who loved to dream,
Who longed to serve.
And instantly I knew that you were someone
With whom I could share my life.

When you opened the door,
I had this insight:
That I was face to face with a woman
Who could love me into maturity.
And instantly I knew
That I could love her just as well.

When you opened the door,
I was sure that Christ was right beside you,
That you were loyal to him,
That you were his follower.
And instantly I knew
That we would walk with him together.

When you opened the door,
I warmed to your welcome.
for at that door I met the woman
That God had promised if I'd trust him.
And instantly I was sure
That everything in life was going to be different.

Thank you for opening the door.

A month later I asked Gail to marry me. Five months later we walked the aisle.

Here are some lessons from my story:
You never know when a life-altering event (good or bad) may emerge out of the most casual of conversations.
Make sure you have friends with the gift of discernment. And if you're the friend, make sure you don't squander your influence.
If the Holy Spirit is our guide, it is prudent to begin each day making sure that you are "guidable."
Even if they are schlocky, write poems for the people that you dearly love.

Just one...

I am only one,

But still I am one.

I cannot do everything,

But still I can do something;

And because I cannot do everything,

I will not refuse to do the something that I can do

- Edward Everett Hale

How Do You Live Your Dash?

I read of a man who stood to speak

At the funeral of a friend.

He referred to the dates on her tombstone

From the beginning...to the end.

He noted that first came her date of birth

And spoke the following date with tears,

But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years. (1934 -1998)

For that dash represents all the time

That she spent alive on earth...

And now only those who loved her

Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;

The cars...the house...the cash,

What matters is how we live and love

And how we live our dash.

So think about this long and hard...

Are there things you'd like to change?

For you never know how much time is left,

That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough

To consider what's true and real,

And always try to understand

The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,

And show appreciation more

And love the people in our lives

Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,

And more often wear a smile...

Remembering that this special dash

Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy's being read

With your life's actions to rehash...

Would you be proud of the things they say

About how you lived your dash?

- Author Unknown