Just as He hears You
January 14, 2012
A woman who had spent all of her money on doctors, after being ill for twelve years, touches Jesus cloak. A miracle happened as she cried out and reach out to Jesus. The same happens today. He hears us and always responds. God hears the human cries. Click here to read the story.
A large crowd came to see him
He stood there on the sea shore
Jairus fell at his feet
“My daughter is dying”
“Will you come and heal?
She is only twelve years old”
He begged Jesus to come
“If you will put your hands on her
I know she will not die”
He left with the crowd
Traveling toward Jairus’ House
In the crowd was a woman
An outcast by law
Bleeding for twelve years
Unclean by purity laws
She suffered greatly
All of her money was gone
She touched the hem of his cloak
She touched his cloak and was healed
She could feel that she was clean
Whole from touching his garment
He could feel her touch
Jesus felt the power leave
His response was, “Who touched me?”
Everyone was silent
All were touching him
Then the silence was broken
This woman came forth and spoke
His gaze fell on the woman
She dropped to her knees
Shaking, fearful and amazed
“I am the one who touched you”
He listened to her story
He heard why she came
“Because you believe, you’re healed”
Go in peace now and stay well
He heard the cry of her heart
Just as he hears yours
Today I will choose …
December 6, 2011
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He arrived first at the tomb
But he would not go inside
I wonder why this is so
Fear paralyzes
Simon Peter went inside
No body was to be found
The linen cloth lay folded
That covered his face
Faith welled up inside
When John saw the body gone
Before this none understood
Why he must be raised
They left and went to their homes
The son rose in a new day
Many stood stunned and sobbing
Kneeling at the tomb entrance
Two angels appeared to her
Sitting where He laid
“Why were you weeping”
“They have taken my Lord away”
“I cannot find him”
Jesus then stood before her
She did not recognize him
Do I see Jesus
Standing beside me today
Please open my eyes
Mary dearly loved Jesus
Jesus heard her tears of grief
Jesus asked her this question
“Tell me why you are weeping
Who is it you are looking for?”
She could not see him
Thinking he was the gardener
She asked, “Where have you laid him?”
I will go and retrieve him
Jesus said, “Mary”
When he spoke her name
She turned and cried, “Rabboni”
The word means teacher
“Mary, you cannot hold me
I must rise above the world
To be near to my Father
My God’s your Father”
Go tell this to my brothers
Mary Magdalene obeyed him
And went directly to them
“I have seen the Lord”
Have you seen the Lord
Pray for faith to remember
If Jesus appeared to them
He’ll appear to you
Yes, He’ll come and dwell in you
Christ lives in those who believe
Today I will choose
Accept the truth of his love
Act by faith in Him
All of the fear will leave you
When you place your trust in Him
It is important to know
That Presence based on feelings
Is what robbed Mary that day
From seeing Jesus
Jesus is risen
He loves you and hears your cry
Listen and believe
~
© Terry S. Smith
December 4, 2011
These reflections were written after meditating on John 20.
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Thanksgiving
November 25, 2011
He was all alone
With no friends to talk to him
A man came to eat
Share his hospitality
To affirm his worth to God
~
He was all alone
Rejected by all his peers
Seen as an outcast
~
He was all alone
Searching for someone to care
To really see him
~
He was all alone
Unnoticed by his neighbors
Someone knew his name
This moment tells the story
Love in the ordinary
~
It was a thanksgiving day
A day Zacchaeus was seen
Affirmed as a man of worth
Loved just like he was
© Terry S. Smith
Thanksgiving 2011
This poem is based on the historical realities of the life of a tax collector living in a Jewish community. Tax collectors were viewed as “the enemy”. To read more about Zacchaeus’ story click here.
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Heard my Desperate Cry
July 24, 2011
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I know you love me
You heard my desperate cry
My life has been changed
You gave a vision
There is hope in your story
For the wounded ones
Trouble and sorrow
I was born in that chaos
Light in the darkness
Illuminated a hope
I arose from the ashes
Compassion drew me
A gracious and tender life
Invited me to peace
Found a place to rest my soul
A mystery I have lived
My words will be few
(except on my blog)
My life will tell the story
The way I live speaks loudest
Actions speak truth
What I say and what I do
When aligned will bring joy
I know how to live
Love delivered me to joy
Death is defeated
Tears will no longer blind me
Desperation is in the past
I have made a vow
To live, love, and give myself
To being present
With people who are seeking
To define reality
Relationships are rich
Because I have been on this quest
Listening to my questions
Honestly searching
Always growing and learning
Solitude the secret
God is who He is
Silence raises awareness
Of a sacred space
God speaks loud in the quiet
Are you willing to listen
© Terry S. Smith
July 23, 2011
Written after meditating on Psalm 116.
Overcoming Pain
May 28, 2011
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I live in a the world of real suffering. People hurt one another. Parents fail children. Children fail parents. Husbands fail wives. Wives fail husbands. Friends fail friends. How does one recover when one gets it in the neck? We all experience massive losses. The only choice I have is how I will respond to the false things in others and the false things in me.
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The following represents thoughts I have learned that have helped me get back up and never give up no matter what happens. The one relationship I have come to trust is the relationship where love was made real by God. God defined himself in His son who chose to become nothing, chose to die, and defeated death. He invites us to come and find comfort from him when betrayal has marked our lives. I commend these thoughts to my friends to take heart when in deep pain. God is near to comfort, bless, and help you overcome your greatest losses.
I will blame no one
A truth I have learned
It’s a waste of time
Generations fail
It’s the empty way I’m handed
No one will escape
The question is “What will I do?”
I’ll choose bitterness or life
I’ll not live in fear
It is a theif in the night
Comes unexpected
And I’m not ready to fight
Fear robs one of His presence
I’m the only one
Who decides how I’ll respond
With vengance or love
With judgment or with kindness
Judgment will belong to God
It is a relief
That someone knows all the truth
His mercy will reign
He knows just how you see it
He knows what you do not know
Moments when we are tested
There is always room to fail
God’s love will not shift on you
He is not like us
I will give mercy
To my greatest enemy
As God gave mercy to me
I will give away
It is who I want to be
His Spirit will give me love
~
© Terry S. Smith
May 27, 2011
Radiant Love
May 7, 2011
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I was desperate
Lonely and afraid of death
Death is when no one sees you
Acknowledges you
Will look at you with kind eyes
Or speak your name with great love
~
I began to seek
The terror began to leave
I tasted freedom
~
My friends were fading away
I felt loneliness coming
This poor man called out for help
The Lord heard my cry
~
He rescued me from distress
Looking back I see angels
Attending in the darkness
I found sweet refuge
~
I tasted something
A mystery I explored
I found love seeking
~
A radiant love
Touched the core of my being
And introduced me to joy
I come in silence
I awake each day seeking
In awe and hungry to know
~
Joy’s at the center
Love is what’s radiated
Peace is the result
Hope for the future is certain
Desire for the truth drives me
~
Fifty years of seeking
Sixty-nine years of living
One thing I know to be true
God loves all people
~
~
© Terry S. Smith
May 7, 2011
Reflections written after meditating on Psalms 31-34.
Your Beauty
March 23, 2011
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Please cherish your life story
Your familiarity
Blinds you to your own beauty
You must look closer
It takes a paradigm shift
A change of lenses to see
Pain as being a part of
Beauty in your life
It is in the silent night
There is a whisper of love
Heard only in the stillness
A quiet thunder
The chaos was a great gift
Looking back I clearly see
The pain caused me to search out
Love searching for me
~
© Terry S. Smith
First posted July 16, 2009
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Handprints
March 16, 2011
I see your handprints
Looking back I sit in awe
Your gentle hand led
Me out of captivity
Into a world of freedom
In my anguish I cried out
There was no comfort for me
No one saw how desperate
How broken I was
I longed to find peace
To feel the presence of love
To find the understanding
Someone to listen
My search born of emptiness
In the prison of my shame
A deep loneliness
A soul shattered by my guilt
With no one I could turn to
No language to speak
The years of abandonment
Unspeakable grief lingered
I felt like I was nothing
My failures condemned my soul
My heart confirmed my no hope
No one could help me
I remembered her
My grandmother on her knees
The joy of her love
Her delight when she saw me
The light of love in her eyes
The light I wondered
That twinkle of joyfulness
I knew God was real
I could feel him in her touch
I knew she deeply loved me
My struggle was to believe
That there was a higher love
My thirst to find out the truth
Find a way to live
She opened the door
Her kindness drew me to search
Knowledge is what I needed
My hunger increased
Something in me was driving
Something larger than my pain
I went to the mountain
Got a vision of the peace
Saw joy inviting
An invitation to love
To receive it and give it
My mom and dad were clueless
I did not know why they raged
Or why they could not see me
Now I understand
My search for insight
My longing to understand
My hunger to not repeat
Find a way to peace
Give my children faithful love
Created a great passion
This longing marked me
A fire to discover joy
A mystery ignited
Determination to know
How to be loved and to love
Meditations written after interacting with the thoughts in Psalm 77 and Proverbs 16.
© Terry S. Smith
March 16, 2011
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The Calm
March 6, 2011
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Looking back I see
Devastating decisions
That were destructive
My own and others
Forgiveness is what’s needed
Who is willing to give
Can my tears be seen
Are the cries of my heart heard
Looking back I know
In the stillness of the night
I heard a gentle whisper
“You are forgiven”
These words were sweet to my ears
Rooted in reality
There’s a place of rest
Where I found joy in the storm
The calm that brings certainty
~
© Terry S. Smith, First posted April 8, 2010
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A Place of Peace
December 30, 2010
My parents failed me
They did not know how to love
Their lives were broken
Not able to trust people
They made decisions that hurt
~
I’m also flawed and broken
I’ve harmed others with actions
Unintentionally caused pain
Guilt imprisoned me
A love much higher found me
Forgave and renewed my soul
~
When I’m confronted
With the wrongs that I have done
I look through other’s eyes
I see my selfish ways
I could not bear to see it
If mercy was not with me
~
It became mine to search out
What was true and what was not
How to have relationships
With myself and others
~
I searched out a way to love.
Two things I cherish
Wisdom and understanding
They are paths to peace
~
Patience is the fruit
For those who will learn to wait
From a place of peace
Seeing marvelous things
Learning the rhythm of time
~
I’ve learned to reverence life
I arise to meet the day
I found rest and contentment
Untouched by trouble
~
Then I gain knowledge
Of how to love another
To see the world through their eyes
Understand their world
To look with great compassion
Accept and forgive with love
~
~
© Terry S. Smith
December 25, 2010
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Reflections written as I read through Proverbs 19 and John 15, (Jesus final words to his friends before he died).
Cry of My Heart
December 6, 2010
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I grew up in fear
My parent’s relationship
Was broken and dark
They were ill prepared to love
Hostility and hate came
~
Home – not a place of safety
Home – not a place where peace dwelled
Home – not a place where joy filled
A longing deferred
~
Fear was realized
Love was shattered by these two
Four children suffered
All around were broken hearts
~
Could the cycle be broken
Was there a way to find peace
Could there be love in marriage
And how does that work
~
I found a way to find life
I listened to my longing
Imagined family
Where there was great peace
~
Love and peace the atmosphere
I could see it in my mind
Then I set on my journey
Fifty years ago
~
My dream compelled me
Determined not to repeat
The story of my childhood
For my children’s life
They are grown now and can tell
The cycle has been broken
~
There are certain things
I have learned to hold sacred
And practice each day
Beliefs that refresh my soul
And give to others great joy
~
Seeking peace was a secret
It gave me the right questions
Then I practiced what I found
Voices I could trust
~
For my father and mother
Who were unable to give
I discovered larger loves
Who’ve been my teachers
~
I have learned to wait
To be strong and take heart
I discovered the goodness
And focus on truth
~
The cry of my heart
Was heard by a higher love
I cannot explain
But in practicing his thoughts
I found my self comforted
~
My heart leaps for joy
Unexplainable friendship
That’s larger than death
Has given me confidence
To see what matters most
~
His words breathe life into me
My focus intentional
Introduces me to joy
His truth restores
~
© Terry S. Smith
December 6, 2010
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Reflections written early in the morning after meditating on Psalms 26-29; John 15.
Entrance to my soul
November 27, 2010
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Where can I find light
Your words become the doorway
Entrance to my soul
It gives me the understanding
Of how to live in your love
There is power in seeing
There is joy in the knowing
There is freedom in serving
The One who loves you
His promises will restore
Meditate on them daily
One is: “I’ll never leave you”
Friendship forever
Fresh thoughts come pouring
As I practice listening
And I am still with just one thing
Hungry to know Him
When afflictions come
I draw near seeking healing
The pain was worth it
I found my God was waiting
To restore and heal my soul
© Terry S. Smith
November 26, 2010
Reflections written after meditating on Psalm 119.
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your journey
August 28, 2010
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Who will define love
That is a question I raised
In seeking I found
~
Sixty-eight years of living
Forty-nine years of seeking
Engaging my mind to know truth
Great discoveries
~
The journey is yours~
You get to decide the way
The path you will take
~
You will have to cut through lies
Seek wise counsel and listen
Test the things you are being taught
On the grid of love
~
The path I am on
Has led to surprising joy
Deep lasting friendships
~~
A Jack Daniel’s truck
Advertising on the side
“What matters most is the stuff
That’s on the inside”
A great truth being abused
Gives relief but no healing
~
My friend has cancer
What are the choices he has
Another has lost his job
Another his child
Who can address these issues
Despair sits at the bottom
~
This is my calling
Helping with life obstacles
I sit in silence
Searching to give a response
Trying to bring the presence of love
~
© Terry S. Smith
August 13, 2010
Meditations written after reading Proverbs 13 and 1 Corinthians 13.
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Be still
August 2, 2010
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Be still and know that God exists
He entered the world of pain
Became human, faced our shame
And said, “I forgive you.”
~
No sweeter words I have heard
Expressed with great compassion
There is One who understands
Who loves and forgives
~
He understands the deep pain
As the Father gave His Son
Was silent when they killed him
Sacrifice of love
~~~
He is closer than the blood
That is flowing through your veins
He is the air that you breathe
You’re held in His hands
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When I cannot sleep
I will arise and weep with
A friend who will never leave
I know this by faith
It’s become certain and sure
His promise always restores
~
I will meditate
I’ll choose my focus today
I am worn out with groaning
My tears fill my bed
And I drench my couch with tears
My eyes grow weak with sorrow
~~
