Joy and Pain

May 3, 2013

~
This is a mixture
They seem to go together
A choice can be made
Joy and pain are “twin sisters”*
A surprised discovery
 
I began this life with joy
The pain was hidden from me
Then surprised me with vengeance
And joy sustained me
 
A well-spring of energy
Like living water it came
It found me in the despair
Offering me hope
 
The memory compelled me
I am larger than my pain
I discovered this secret 
Made in God’s image
 
This huge discovery came 
A love affair ignited
One that cannot be explained
Pursued by God’s love
 
There is great wisdom
Pay attention to questions
Reflect on your life
Give yourself to the seeking
God is searching to find you
 
He is running to meet you
With the deepest compassion
You find it in the story
Of God’s unique Son
 
 

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”  Ephesians 3:16-17

 

“You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”  Psalm 16:11

 

*I got the phrase “Twin Sisters” from a poem my wife Charlotte wrote years ago. 

 

For my nephew Kirk, on his birthday

Desire of Your Heart

October 9, 2012

 
A way is revealed
With gentleness and kindness
Love will come in a whisper
When you long to know
You seek God’s wisdom above all
Make knowledge of truth your aim
 
There is one constant
A surprise to discover
It’s unfailing love
 
In seeking the truth
Being disciplined to think
I found in desperation
A hunger for life
Simple answers do not work
Honest questions saved me
 
It is too good to be true
Wisdom and understanding
Is available to all
Who delight in God
 
Yes, it is the truth
One must practice believing Him
Take Him at His word
 
What’s the desire of your heart
There are promises for you
If you delight in the Lord
Light comes to your soul

Proverbs 8; Psalms 36-40; Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

 

Wisdom Available

October 4, 2012

To find the treasure

Ear – listen for wisdom

Eye – search with great intent

Heart – apply the understanding

~

Then you’ll understand

What it means to revere God

Gain knowledge of God

You’ll discover the wisdom

Embrace the insights

 

You’re my shield, O God

Your righteousness -  my protector

I walk in your peace

Your promises restore me

Your Divine Power saves me

Psalm 7:10     

 

I will trust in you

With all my heart I seek you

It’s you I believe

You have never forsaken

Those who seek with all their heart

Psalm 9: 9,10

 

Is there room for God

Pride can fill up the heart

Lust will poison it

Greed causes one to act out

These three things bring great destruction

 

God helps the fatherless ones

Breaks the arm of the wicked

The Lord is King forever

You rule with mercy

 

Proverbs 2; Psalms 6-10;

Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

~
His tongue brings healing
The fruit of the tree brings life
Deceitful words crush

The lips of the wise
Spread knowledge and bring real hope
Pursue righteousness
You will find how loved you are
What delight in you God has

A cheerful heart celebrates
Sees the beauty, finds the hope
She cannot be defeated
Love’s at the center

A man of understanding
Listens with great compassion
Seeks counsel for direction
Then obeys the Lord

His path will be straight
Find joy in giving true words
A timely reply

Her path leads upward
He’ll climb every mountain
Joy will lead the way
Courage, wisdom and compassion
Death itself will be destroyed

The Lord listens to prayers
Those who seek with all their heart
Revere the Lord above all
Joy will fill your heart

Written in Jerusalem, April 16, 2012
How much better to get wisdom than gold, understanding rather than silver! Proverbs 16:16
 

Dedicated to my granddaughter Maia, on her ninth birthday

The Unseen Gift

May 2, 2011

~
Help me understand
What it means to fear God
To have a knowledge of God
Do not be afraid
His gentleness and kindness
Will teach you to stand in awe
~
His Divine Power
Will provide all of your needs
Magnificent promises
Will restore your joy
You will escape corruption
Your life will be filled with hope
~
The Lord gives wisdom
You will hunger for knowledge
Your faith will increase
Self-control will mark your life
Forgiveness and love controls
~
What is right and just
Faithfulness and loyalty
Integrity above all
Lived with compassion
It’s speaking the truth in love
This takes practice and training
~
I do just one thing
As I rise in the morning
I seek to listen
To the voice that brings me joy
Twenty-four seven He loves
~
Understanding guards my life
I’ve discovered the secret
This secret found me seeking
I’m never alone
~
It’s an unseen gift
By faith I have discovered
A love without end
~
Faith, goodness, knowledge
Practicing what I have learned
Has given me hope
I will persevere and train
And I will never give up
~
No one can deny
When they’ve experienced love
Unconditional
It changes the way I look
At myself and at the world
~
©Terry S. Smith
Meditations written after reading Proverbs 2, Psalm 121,
~

Renew and Restore

September 24, 2010

~

Finding a clear path

To do what is right and just

Is the path I want

~

Get understanding

Make it your priority

Otherwise you’ll find yourself

Living in darkness

Not knowing which way to go

Filled with fear and judgment

~

Guard your mouth and tongue

You’ll avoid calamity

Be clear on what you focus

A secret to know

Whatever that focus is

Will only grow much larger   *       

~

Give thought to your ways

Your feelings can deceive you

Fear will rob your life

Bitterness is a cancer

That will spread through your body

~

Seek wisdom and clear insight

When desperate, come to God

One who loves without limit

Has power to rescue

~

Insight never comes

Before you choose who you’ll trust

You must use your mind

Decide who is trustworthy

Then have the courage to act

~

Anxiety kills

Is blinding and harmful

A doorway to death

~

“Do not be afraid”

Three hundred and sixty-five times

Spoken by your God

This is a voice of promise

That renews and restores life

~

© Terry S. Smith

September 21, 2010

 Meditations written after reading Proverbs 21; John 15; Colossians 3.  (* Inspired from the quote: “Whatever you focus upon, increases.”  Andy Andrews The Noticer p.13.)

Refreshing drink

May 21, 2010

~
Wisdom is a gift
It remains precious treasure
I will ask for it
~
Do right and be kind
Life and honor are the result
Basic truth of life
~
The tongue and the mouth
They both can bring much trouble
Or refresh the soul
~
The unseen is real
There’re streams of living water
Come to the fountain
~
A good listener
Can discern the false language
They will give thought to their ways
They will see the good
Value the person they meet
Offer the person safety
~
I can feel your compassion
My imagination sings
With the knowledge that I know
The dance of joy calls
~
I know steadfast love
A discovery I found
A process entered
From desperation
Searching for some real answers
That are relevant and true
~
I am well watered
In quiet meditation
I drink deeply of a love
Indescribable
What I know that I have found
Is a life well lived in joy
~
© Terry S. Smith
May 21, 2010
~
Written after meditating on Proverbs 21 and Psalms 101-103.
~
I’m looking for direction
I’m waiting at the doorway
I’m listening for your voice
The voice of wisdom
 
Where can I find this wisdom
It is a search each must take
Your life will depend on it
Decide what you want
 
I know I desire to live
Love and joy at the center
Where relationships flourish
I know what I want
 
Since I made the decision
To look outside my feelings
Get input from wiser souls
My life is enriched
 
Want only good for others
Is the first piece of advice
Start with being kind to self
Decide you’re worth it
 
There is a book of wisdom
Penned three thousand years ago
It’s called the book of Proverbs
I read it daily
 
© Terry S. Smith
March 8, 2010
 
Written after meditating on Proverbs 8, and Psalm 37.
~
 

growth

February 4, 2010

~
Where can I find the knowledge
To live a life that is full
The answers are not easy
I need real wisdom

What are my questions
They are formed in quietness
I listen for them

Nature speaks to me
The birds, trees and animals
Speak of higher love
This knowledge makes me bow down
I am in awe of this world

Nature has order
It is not so with mankind
What is the problem
A basic question answered
This one I have studied well

Discipline and honesty
I have sought to know what’s true
My responsibility
To search and find where is peace
I have been surprised by joy

Jesus Christ has made God known
Compassion and gentleness
To the broken and lonely
His love was revealed

The truth just tastes good
When you hear it you know it
It has a clear ring

It meets all the tests
Bigger than circumstances
Much larger than death
It must be worth dying for
The ones important to me

My standard is high
This truth will enhance each life
It guarantees  growth
  
Knowledge is what I’m seeking
About personality
Jesus became my focus
I studied his life
 
© Terry S. Smith
February 1, 2010
 
Today is my daughter Sara’s birthday.  You are invited to read funny things that my grandchildren say on her blog.
“A Spacious Place”
~
 

searching

September 2, 2009

~

Call out for insight

Cry out for understanding

Seek out the treasure

 

Knowledge is pleasant

Know what is appropriate

Use good discretion

Understanding will guard you

Wisdom will enter your heart

 

Seek understanding
call out
cry aloud
look for it
search for it
as for a hidden treasure
  

© Terry S. Smith

written September 2, 2009

~

sweetness to the soul

August 24, 2009

~

There is something sweet

A gift to all who will ask

It is called wisdom

 

It is sweetness to the soul

It connects knowledge with life

It gives timing and rhythm

To relationships

 

Another word for wisdom

Is “insight” into your soul

Understanding is the key

Respect for yourself

 

I cannot give to others

What I do not have in me

I will seek to gain knowledge

How to live in peace

 

When I look to other

To find that peace and resting

I find it always eludes

They are just like me

 

Each looking to get

Something they do not have

Looking for the other one

To give them that love

Both discover emptiness

Disillusioned and hurting

 

You do have a gift

A treasure that’s within you

Rise up and seek it

 

You must take courage

Find the fire that’s within you

Do not make friends with your pain

You decide to live

Be responsible for you

And give with no strings attached

 

You are bigger than your pain

It’s a mystery I know

I lived in desperation

Found peace in the pain

 

I have learned that honesty

With myself and all others

Gives a transparency and

Good conversation 

~
written August 24, 2009 
 

These reflections came out of my response to ancient Proverbs 24Over the  years, I have found myself in “conversation” with King Solomon, the author of the book of Proverbs.

 

“Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; and your hope will not be cut off.”

 

“An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.”

~

seek wisdom

July 9, 2009

~

Educate yourself

Your responsibility

To use your mind well


You can be real smart

And ignorant at the same time

Information helps 

 

True information, that is

Every human can see

Given safety and good time

You’ll figure life out

 

There will come a time

In the life of all of us

You will know if you got it

Looking back you’ll see

The decisions that you made

Were right for you or wrong

 

So I hope you’ll look ahead

Seek wisdom with all your heart

Make insight your greatest goal

Read ancient Proverbs

 
Today I will celebrate

Sixty-seven years of life

I am still learning a lot

Surprised by the joy

 

written July 9, 2009 
 

 

voice of love

June 30, 2009

~
Wisdom is supreme
Understanding is the bridge
Compassion will rule
 
Thoughtful time alone with God
To listen and to follow
You will find direction
And your soul renewed
 
Good words bring entrance
To a soul searching for life
Find words that are true
 
Which voice do you listen to
Only you can decide that
The voice of love won my life
I pray it wins yours
 
written November 4, 2008
~

to search and to find

June 28, 2009

~
“I have finished my work here.”
Are words that I want to say
I know what I am called to do
I will finish strong
 
I am resolved to complete
The work I am going to do
With great joy I will proceed
With freedom to choose
 
It is good to have one thing
That you know matters most
It brings great clarity
Energized by joy
 
Each person must search it out
What that one thing is to them
Love must be the center
And truth at the core
 
And what is truth
Each one is responsible
To search and to find
~
written November 21, 2008
~

the genuine life

June 11, 2009

~
My life is like a plant
I need to water it well
And pull the weeds out each day
Then it will flourish
 
I want my roots to grow deep
I want my soul to drink deeply
I want to bear the fruit of
Wisdom, love and peace
 
Love means clean inside
Being pure and transparent
Focused on loving
A light to the world
 
What I do alone
To live the genuine life
Is most important
 
In my private world
I make choices to train well
I am what I think
 
I will pursue character
Integrity will be first
Maturity is my goal
I will seek to serve
~
written September 1, 2008
~
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