Friday, July 31, 2020

To Live/Love Without Reserve...


It matters not how a man dies, but how he lives.
Samuel Johnson~

May we be a Son-flower/sunflower in the garden of life!
Happy last-day-of-July




 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, 
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
1 Cor.13:4-8

The best we have to live
Exists right now, right here
All we may keep is what we give
It is enough my dear
To love without reserve
To brush insult aside
For we have more than we deserve
Hope lives because He died

Then daily death of pride
Should be our wholesome quest
To live a life of self-denied
To give our humble best
With kind and utter thanks
For all that He has won
And trust Him to fill in the blanks
Still gaping with undone

The sting of verbal slights
Of love misunderstood
Cannot distract He who delights
To work for our good
Love, long-suff’ring and meek
Does not ‘settle the score’
But rather turns the other cheek
To author peace, not war

…to honour He who gave
Himself to manifest
The way true love ought to behave
When it is put to test
Love is more walk than talk
It speaks evil of none
But turns a would-be stumbling block
Into a stepping stone

© Janet Martin


6 comments:

  1. A great poem to read in the morning before the start of a new day! "Love is more walk than talk" - so true. July's (almost) done, hard to believe. :(

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    1. thank-you<3 July just flew by, as it always does, but still takes me by surprise every time! Drinking in the last delightful drops! plus, August is nice too!

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  2. I memorized those words from 1 Cor 13 when I was a girl. Have never forgotten them, and so often, when I realize I need a reminder, they will spring to mind. Your sunflowers are so bright and bold and beautiful. And I enjoyed your poem this morning. "To brush insult aside, For we have more than we deserve" ... so true!


    Wishing you a beautiful weekend, Janet.
    Brenda xo

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    1. Sunflowers seem to thrive in spite of the dry spell we are in! they are such a cheerful presence! those words from 1 Cor. 13 are what inspired today's poem when my fuse was feeling a little short;-/
      I think we memorized the whole chapter for memory work at school or at home when I was a girl. It certainly is the scriptures we learn as children that stay with us forever, isn't it?!

      Blessings to you and yours this already-August weekend!

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  3. Janet-I’ve been enjoying all your poems. I hope you and your family are coming through these times! I’ve been heads down trying to save my events business but enjoy reading all your words- as always.

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    1. Hi Trish, so nice to 'see' you<3 oh man, Trish! an events business is definitely a challenge right now! Wishing the best for you and your family. These are learning times for all of us and we are 'weathering' the best we can. Thank-you for dropping by. You cross my thoughts sometimes. esp. when I think of my daughter living in the same city. She is coming home today for only the second time this year!

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Thank-you for stopping by my porch! I hope you were blessed!