Showing posts with label eternity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eternity. Show all posts

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Through the Means of Today


"That our sanctification did not depend upon changing
our works, but, in doing that for God's sake which we commonly do for our own.
That it was lamentable to see how many people mistook the means for the end,
addicting themselves to certain works which they performed
very imperfectly, by reason of their human or selfish regards...."

by Brother Lawrence



We ought to pay close heed
To dawn’s gift on display
Because of where its moments lead
Through the means of Today...



Some folk I have outlived
And some will outlive me
Through the means of Today, a gift
God grants mortality

The tally of the sum
Of Today-shadows cast
Are like flickers that will become
My life, when life is passed

The breath that holds the soul
At bay, someday will cease
The means of getting to the goal
Will expire its lease

We ought to pay close heed
To dawn’s gift on display
Because of where its moments lead
Through the means of Today

The means is not the end
The ‘seen’ will soon be through
Let’s live as if Today could rend
The veil between the two

…where there is no release
To what none can outlive;
The end begins what cannot cease
And God alone can give

Oh, pray we bear in mind
Far more than dust of clay
In grave-strewn worlds soon left behind
Through the means of Today

© Janet Martin

Ps.107:8-9
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
 For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

Sharing some morning robin and finch cheeriness!
(in between traffic noise!)







Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Of Payoffs In Waiting (or Something About a Gaping Grave)


Yesterday my dad's oldest brother (and Wayne's father) was laid to rest.
He is an uncle fondly remembered by his nieces and nephews
 for his good-natured, uncomplaining and optimistic outlook
 though his life had many hardships!
We cousins are in a stage where funerals have become our meeting place
and with these gatherings comes the solemn reminder
our childhood playmates are not children anymore,
all of us under the influence of Time's unflinching touch 
and we are reminded of this truth;
that death can come to the young
but it will come to the old
and the realization is dawning that our generation
 is on the heels of the one we are, 
one by one, laying to rest!
A ripe old age turns to mist
 in death's twinkling of an eye!
So then, as we turn again 
to shoulder our yokes of scarred delight
pray we do not lose sight 
of the only payoff that counts
when, for all 'momentary mountains/afflictions, 
the eternal payoff is unveiled!

Therefore we do not lose heart.
 Though our outer self is wasting away, 
yet our inner self is being renewed day by day.
 17For our light and momentary affliction is producing 
for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison.
 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. 
For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Just beyond what we can see ...

(No matter how bitter/sweet)
lies Payoff's Eternity...

Below, a bit of 'sweet'.
This dog can be sassy and silly one minute
and sound asleep at my feet the next!!😂




Though the payoff of push and shove
Through ups and downs of life and love
May appear, to the sphere of sight
Like a showcase of scarred delight
While grappling with the yoke of truth
By fresh parades of fading youth

And though the payoff may seem small
For prayers that rise and tears that fall
Where today holds no guarantees
That Circumstance will aim to please
The Hierarchy of Hope and Dream
We nurture with fondest esteem

…and though the payoff drags its feet
Where hold and letting go compete
Something about a gaping grave
When mourners meet, its scene to brave
Reminds us with sobriety
Of a payoff we cannot see

The payoff for man’s hope and hurt
Is not a fresh-turned mound of dirt
Is not a final farewell tear
Is not the boon of now and here
Oh no! Death is the turn of key
Where push and shove/life and love’s payoff will be

So then, before it is too late
Pray we would reevaluate
The quests and payments we applaud
And rest our confidence in God
Who will, for all eternity
Unveil what the payoff will be

© Janet Martin

We sang two of my favourite hymns yesterday









Friday, January 12, 2024

Brief Encounter (with Today) or Truth's Long Encounter (with Eternity)

 Ps.139:16

all my days were written in Your book

and ordained for me

before one of them came to be...


Heb.3:12-13

Take heed, brethren, lest there be

in any of you an evil heart of unbelief,

in departing from the living God.

but exhort one another daily

while it is called Today;

lest any of you be hardened through

the deceitfulness of sin


I wonder what today will bring!

Yesterday brought a sweet visit with my sister 

at a friend's beautiful home!

...and an opportunity to be utterly enchanted 

by our Creator's handiwork

as we walked on a riverside trail nearby!





this poem originally was the first three stanzas, 
then, as I was posting it, three more tumbled out😅😏
so, maybe you just want to read three or maybe you will read six.
Either way, may God bless and guide you and me 
 as we try to make the most of
Today's Brief Encounter

Where you will go, I know; your predecessors lead the way
Through twilight’s westward gate each brief encounter disappears
Yet, when I wake, once more you fill each window, like a tray
Replenished with what waits to fuel prayers, laughter and tears

And, though I do not know the ins and outs of ups and downs
I know Whose faithfulness abides to cup each come-what-may
That waits to weave an echo-labyrinth of smiles and frowns
As yesterday’s tomorrow dons the fleet shoes of Today

…to run beneath my feet, the sacred sweep that ekes toward
The finish line where Time and taker’s marathon is through
Thus, dear Today, before you fade where dusk tugs heaven’s cord
And tucks you beneath stars, I want to make the most of you

Because only God knows how many of you yet remain
Before each Today He ordained for me has come to be
So then, because I know that you will never pass again
I want to make the most of mercy's gift of you to me  

Because there is much more than memories to make, at stake
Much more than love's emotional or sentimental spree
Today is the day of salvation; a gift all should take
To prepare for Truth's Long Encounter with Eternity 

Then we should pay attention to each Today that we have
(As surely as the upward flight of sparks, its end will be)
But, Soul transcends the trek that spans between cradle and grave
Where Today's brief encounter hems Truth's Long Eternity

© Janet Martin





Friday, January 5, 2024

Today Twofer ...Cradle of Eternity and Today's Most Estimable Gift

Yesterday we celebrated the child that turned Jim and I into grandparents!

Happy 7th Birthday, Grandson!


Simply being there may look like nothing much
(dear weary, young mother/parent),
 but, is in essence, everything!

Oh, the efforts that may seem to count for nothing here
 but may count for everything There!🙏🙏🙏
By God's grace, keep on.

Above, we simply see a birthday cake!!
 not the baking of it by Very Sleep-deprived mom 
after children are tucked into bed,
We don't see the many, messy, mundane, oops, 
I mean SACRED interruptions/frustrations
 to bring it to fulfillment!😅💓




Technology/screen-time has many negatives in the development of children BUT
this is one of the best positives; being able to laugh and chat with cousins 
over 2000 kilometers away!!




“Children are not a distraction from more important work.
 They are the most important work.”
– Dr. John Trainer
(according to this site, the above quote is misattributed to C.S. Lewis)

Children are by far the most important work!
because...

Beneath the wide, missing-toothed grin
That six and seven year old sports
Beneath Innocent Countenance 
That Time's Insistence soon aborts
 Beneath the sweet Cocoon of Youth
Trembles an Immutable Flame
As irrefutable as Truth
Unthwarted by denial's claim

This truth kindles a deeper look
At faces that we love so dear
At babies nestled in arm's crook
At hugs, as we draw loved ones near
Because, beneath the part we see
Exists the Thing That Never Dies
The Cradle of Eternity
Has missing teeth and eager eyes 

...a-sparkle with dream-giddy stars
Where footsteps that dash wild and free
Are bearing a most sacred charge
The Cradle of Eternity
Because, the part that melts the heart
With the velocity/Curiosity of Youth 
Cradles the soul, that precious Part
That looks to us to teach/tell the Truth 

© Janet Martin

Eccles.12:1
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,
 before the days of trouble come 
and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them"—


I began the poem below yesterday...
Inspired in part by this passage
 (which also helped inspire the above poem) 

For He established a testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers,
That they should make them known to their children;
 That the generation to come might know them,
The children who would be born,
That they may arise and declare them to their children,
That they may set their hope in God,
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments;...

from this devotion...

from this book...


Before the poem was completed Eagerness arrived to steal the show with sweetness!

when Little Brother noticed Big Sister about to be the 'star',
he, ever-so-full-of -'innocent'-mischief did his thing😂😂😇

Can't you just about hear his very enthusiastic 'CHE-E-E-ESE!!'💖😅

We still managed one without his shenanigans 
(that keep everyone laughing and pulling their hair out!😂😅)


After they left, Gramma needed a nap before
heading out to above birthday celebration!


Today's most estimable part is valuable to know
Though its most vital works of art may never steal the show
It ought to stoke a lion’s roar in hearts of you and me
Because today swings wide the Door of Opportunity

Where what we do with what we have holds more than first appears
The impact of Now’s aftermath fills more than yesteryears
As repercussion of reply unravels in its wake
A footpath forged by you and I, for future feet to take

Today’s most estimable part is sacred to the touch
Though, at first glance its works of art may not appear as much
Beneath the part we see the root establishes the tree
That will, for good or ill, bear fruit for all eternity

Sometimes eternity can feel far off, and quite unreal
Sometimes Impulse can spar and scoff at God’s/time’s/love’s patient appeal
Sometimes, today’s most estimable gift, we hardly see
As God fills up the cup we lift with Opportunity

© Janet Martin

Let's not lose heart by dwelling on
 opportunities lost or missed
but seize the part we build upon;
Now
goodness-glossed and mercy-kissed

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

No Mean Miracle This...


A preacher once challenged his listeners with this thought;
If God granted us one glimpse of heaven
or one glimpse of hell...hell would be empty;
Heaven so awesome, hell so awful!
This mortal body instilled with immortal soul is no mean miracle
It is the awesome opportunity to believe in the One who made it possible
through his death and resurrection, to spend eternity
in a perfection we cannot begin to fathom...
1 Cor.2:9
But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Do you love Him?
Have you believed in Him and
received his gift?
Eph.2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—
and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Therefore, because every one of us is an Immortal Soul clad with a temporary cloak
let's treat each other with utmost awareness of what we all bear
in common... this, then eternity!





No mean miracle this; Soul stoked/cloaked with breath of life
No game of chance, no traitor’s kiss of death to insult strife
No futile farse is faith, no hoax, hope’s holy stairs
No pompous or pious charade, worship’s parade of prayers

Time tunes a transient toll; the body like a barge
That bears the cargo of the soul; a very sacred charge
Through life, a precious gift we unwrap day by day
Until the final, fleeting weft/breath of wrapping falls away

God’s love is without lack; His armor has no chink
His goodness groans on our behalf beyond what thought can think
His ways transcend the scope of logic’s keenest ken
His promises anchor the hope of all who trust. Amen.

No mean miracle this; body with soul instilled
For God, so rich in mercy is the law of love fulfilled
He beckons all to come; to repent and believe
This is no mean ultimatum He suffered to achieve

…His pardon for our sin; a debt we could not pay
Ah, heed the Voice that pleads within! Believe in Him today
Lest what is mean at last is our rebel pride
Who knew the miracle, but cast its saving grace aside

© Janet Martin

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

The Holy Whole (of Soul's eternity)

Gorgeous sunny, spring daybreak!



I'm sure everyone in our neck of the woods wants to make the most 
of FINALLY, a fabulous stretch of sunshine warming winter-weary bones! 
Lawn-raking never felt so fine, like spring-cleaning the outdoors!


The wise in this world endeavor to make the most 
of every day, no matter the weather! 
Because, no matter who or where we are, death is life's gravest matter 
and none of us knows how near its Door draws with each breath we take...

***

We live but once; the wise weigh well the measure of its lease
For there are none who can foretell how soon a life will cease
But only God, who grants each breath beholds the holy Whole
Of numbered days before the death that bares the deathless soul

Not one of us can know who next will hear His summons fall
To draw us from time’s brief context to meet the Lord of all
Death is life’s gravest matter borne on seasons as they roll
Its dust and ash we scatter, the torn garment of the soul

The holy Whole of moment-sums slip subtly, yet rife
Through the undoing that becomes the measure of a life
The wise, aware of today’s momentous fragility
Weigh well the flickering blaze of accountability

Oho, how soon the afternoon dons twilight's dusky hues  
How swift life's gleaming gift spawns the shadow of deathly dues
How surely no one knows That Rending Toll's proximity 
That will  unveil The Holy Whole of Soul's eternity 

© Janet Martin

Luke 12:35-40
Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 
36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, 
so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.
 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. 
Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, 
will have them recline at the table 
and will come and wait on them. 
38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready,
 even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak.
 39 But understand this:
 If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming,
 he would not have let his house be broken into. 
40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come 
at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Oho, how soon the afternoon dons twilight's dusky hues...  



Monday, February 13, 2023

Precious Prelude

Pondering the Precious today...


The sunshine sparked a bit of spring fever so,
down with winter decor 


and up with suggestions of spring!


A froth of fallen petals...


Tomorrow we are halfway through February!

A dash across the landscape
A splash upon the sea
A kiss of This soft-taking shape
And then eternity  

A mist upon yon meadow
As twist of scar-stitched shawls
Unravels the foreshadowing
'ere life’s last suture falls

Love's lilts of tears and laughter
Like quilts of grief and glee 
Hang from rafters where ever-after
Veils eternity 

A froth of fallen petals
A cloth of phantom tulle 
Enshrouds the dust that soon settles 
In the grave's solemn pull

A chattering of seasons
A smattering of stars
Before we behold life's reasons 
Only death's door unbars 

A war of mortal adieu
A score of days and then
Last breath, as Death transports us to
Eternity. Amen.

A very precious prelude
Lingers precariously
Upon the air not yet subdued
By vast eternity

Gate, noiselessly unbolted
Wait swallowed up in See
As each voice of Choice is jolted
Into eternity 

© Janet Martin




Monday, February 6, 2023

Witness in the Making


The funeral service my husband and I attended today 
was closed with this sacred text from
the final words in the Holy Bible;
Rev.22:12-17&21
12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, 
and I will give to each person according to what they have done.
 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, 
the First and the Last, 
the Beginning and the End.
14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, 
that they may have the right to the tree of life 
and may go through the gates into the city. 
15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, 
the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters 
and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you[a] this testimony for the churches. 
I am the Root and the Offspring of David, 
and the bright Morning Star.”
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” 
And let the one who hears say, “Come!” 
Let the one who is thirsty come; 
and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life...

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. 
Amen.



What will be said of you and I when we are laid to rest
Oh, what will be the legacy that transcends mortal goals
After we cease the evidence of what we now love best
When the reward of Recompense its sacred summons tolls

What are we doing to prepare for what waits one and all
Nobody knows how near or far we are to earth’s farewell
Thus, this sojourn is no eat-drink-be-merry festival
It is the holy prelude to either Heaven or hell

Where what and who we love most consumes thought’s most earnest quest
As thought’s most earnest quest turns into choice and consequence
And writes what will fill memories as we are laid to rest
And only God can break the seal that reveals Recompense

What will be said of you and I when death collects its due
Depends on here and now and how we use life’s little lease
Oh, pray that what will be remembered most of me and you
Is our love for God portrayed in love, hope, joy and peace

When we face what we all will face but once forevermore
What will God say when you and I step from this transient shell
When we witness the evidence of what we most adored
Will the reward be Heaven's joy or agony of hell?

© Janet Martin




Sunday, January 22, 2023

As We Face What Waits To Be...

 

After two funerals, one on Friday and one yesterday
it is impossible not to be impacted by the brevity and sacredness of life on earth.
For, even though both funerals were for elderly women who had outlived
the moment life ceases to be all that matters is how we prepared for eternity!
Here we all still are, where God tips the scales of mercy in our favour,
where the invitation to 'come' resounds, 
and where redemption for sin still flows full and free!

Heb.9:27-28
Just as man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment, 
28so also Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many;
 and He will appear a second time, 
not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him.

Are you among those 'who eagerly await Him 
because of His gift of salvation'?!





Daybreak tips God’s scales of mercy in our favour; faith ahoy
With the promise of his Presence we proceed with hope and joy
Armed with the awesome awareness of the power of His Word
Gladness rekindles commitment to our calling undeterred

Because no matter what happens as we face what waits to be
Nothing in the world can sever us from God and love's decree
As Time’s thread runs through His fingers and our numbered days decrease
May Hope’s finished work through Jesus fill our hearts with joy and peace

We who believe in Him receive so much to be thankful for
As the Hour is approaching that nobody should ignore
When the joy still set before us is unveiled and we shall see
He who tips morn’s scales of mercy and beckons ‘come unto Me’

Death demands life’s full attention ere it cuts time’s sacred cord
And it ushers us to reckon with the love we most adored
Pray before the hour ceases when repentance comes too late
We have put our trust in Jesus, who will greet us at death’s gate

Then, when like a little vapor time’s brief sojourn disappears
We who have believed will enter in to ‘no more pain or tears’
But for all who disregarded He whose love tips mercy’s scales
There remains the endless horror of rejection’s endless wails

© Janet Martin









Saturday, November 26, 2022

Reminder to Remember


Recently I heard this comment (quoted loosely);
The saddest life of all is giving our all 
to something that turns out in the end,
to be completely and utterly worthless/meaningless.

The author of the book of Ecclesiastes
 ponders the meaning of life, finds great wealth 
and tastes every heart's desire
only to come to this awesome conclusion 
after realizing everything in this world is ultimately vanity...

Now all has been heard;
    here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
    for this is the duty of all mankind.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
    including every hidden thing,
    whether it is good or evil.

The beauty of the earth is a glimpse-of-Heaven backdrop
to the brutality of the battle of wills
between man and God/God and man






(This reminder to remember was written to myself
and anyone else who can relate to the battle of want
between what is temporal and what is eternal)
...also a bit of a continuance along the lines of thought
that inspired yesterday's poem
 
Sometimes the guise of lesser prizes we are yearning for
Can blind us to the binding gait of those who’ve gone before
The price we are willing to pay, sometimes not worth the cost
For something that will fade away in death, forever lost

Sometimes we grapple with apples of want’s eye, and we miss
The treasure that transcends the pleasure of This transient kiss
For time's measure of moments melts like snowflakes in the sun
While warp and weft of seasons weaves and unravels as one

Sometimes the diamond in our dreams is not as it appears
The pinnacle doffed of its gleam as its procurement nears
The glamor of achievement and the clamor of applause
A trophy of bereavement on ashes of futile cause

God, help us to remember you behold and know our need
Help us note and surrender gloating gods of pride and greed
Help us guard against pitfalls decked in visual appeal
And help us not to put our trust in what we think and feel

God, open our heart’s eyes as we seek and search Your Word
So, stepping-stones and stumbling blocks are not confused and blurred
Remind us, not one jot or tittle is hidden from You
And all will give account when this little lifetime is through

God, keep our eyes upon a prize beyond all mortal ken
For the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, amen
Help us put on Your whole armor, with humble, sacred breath
Lest we stray to a way that seems right, but its end is death

© Janet Martin

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to counsel.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.