Showing posts with label habits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label habits. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 12, 2022

For Better or For Worse Love's Fool-proof Evidence

There is only one fool-proof instruction manual for love:
God's Word, The Holy Bible
There is only one perfect example of love:
God's Son, Jesus
There is only one name above every name:
Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place
and gave Him the name above all names,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Phil.2:9-11

...for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men,
1 Kings 8:39

...for the Lord searches all hearts, 
and understands every intent of the thoughts.
1 Chron.28:9

...for God sees not as man sees, 
for man looks at the outward appearance, 
but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Sam.16:7

(A perk of not finishing a morning post till tot is in for an afternoon nap?
some lunch snapshots.😊)

Pots and pans can help us cook up quite a visually-appealing lunch-feast!
(I am always astonished at how a mountain of spinach
disappears when cooked)





This medley of stir-fried onion, green and red sweet peppers,
 celery, carrot and spinach
 topped with a scoop of quinoa, 
a splash of soy sauce
and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds was yummy!
For the first time I cooked un-gummy quinoa


thanks to this post;
😋
Besides pots-and-pans feasts,
Thoughts of man can cook up quite a feast too!
Whether with mind or mouth, 
we become what we regularly feast on.

For better of for worse God knows the intent of the heart
He sees beneath façade of skin that clothes the counterpart
Of longing’s smart and rebel pride,
Of cupid’s dart and dreams denied
His tender gaze beholds the ways of mortal’s mental art

We soon expose, in spite of clothes the thought-guests that we host
The ilk of word and deed soon shows what God/gods we love the most
By what we boast and what we crave
By who we toast astride the grave
By how one lives the Now grace gives; Heaven or earth-engrossed

When circumstance upsets The Plan, when tolerance is tried
When song and dance of fellowman obstructs the prudent stride
For better or for worse God knows
Whether we bless or curse want’s woes
Without a word the heart is heard and seen; nowhere to hide

The intent of the heart becomes tomorrow’s testaments
A catalyst of sacred crumbs scattering recompense
Where, someday we will give account
For seeds that spill from fleeting fount
To strew behind, from heart and mind, love’s fool-proof evidence

© Janet Martin

Friday, March 19, 2021

Peering Down the Habit-hole

Today we are taking a moment to peer down the rabbit, oops, habit hole!
(I'm blaming all the 'bunny-bobbles' around the bird-feeders
and yard for ferhuddling/befuddling me!) 😂 
(although habits are a bit like rabbits; they breed new ones😉)


Habit Definition: (Entry 1 of 2) 1 : a settled tendency or usual manner of behavior 
such as 'her habit of taking a morning walk'.
 2a : an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly
 or completely involuntary such as 'she got up early from force of habit.'

The older I become, the more it dawns on me 
what a potent part habits play in who we become!
Wise to train/bend the limb in the right direction while it is green!

So true the adage; Old habits die hard

Some habits are shaped by necessity;
Others by apathy

Better to get in the habit of counting mercies
rather than misgivings!
A great day is a grateful day!

On my lots-of-tots days my habit of morning blog-post 
(unless it all comes together quickly),
 is now an afternoon nap-time post!

We enjoyed a gorgeous daybreak!
the colors as crisp as the air!




Habits are things we say and do often without much thought
Yet crucial in shaping who we become, like it or not
They tune the tone of grin and groan from the moment we wake
And set down crucial steppingstones to paths of life we take
As strengths or weaknesses imbue the elemental flux
Of word and deed soon turned into character’s vital crux

Habits can settle into mettle of response with ease
They wave no flag of caution to warn of deficiencies
As they seep into attitudes that benefit or taint
With either gratitude or rude and critical complaint
Therefore, we ought to hone habits with care for we become
For better or for worse, blessing or curse of habit’s sum

Ah, holy role of habits, what a potent part you play
A little bit like subtle fingers fashioning the clay
Where what is hidden in the heart has ways of showing through
By how habit accommodates the ways of say-and-do
To weave with ribbons of reply, wise, foolish, cruel or kind 
Life's everlasting legacy each of us leaves behind 

© Janet Martin

So here's a word of encouragement
to honing healthy habits
such as:
Pray before touching down on new day
Read God's word to keep faith's focus undeterred
It is wise to exercise
Eat good food for health-wealth
Chew words well before spitting them out

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12







Friday, October 4, 2019

Cause and Effect or Because... and Effectiveness

what are your deepest Woulda-shoulda-s?
If we wallow in those we will never be successful!

Aren't you glad we are encouraged to forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead?

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
Phil.3:13


Not always what we’d rather but rather that which we should
For what seems pleasing in the moment is not always good
Deception is a master at defending reason’s cause
It decorates disaster with momentary applause

Effect lasts so much longer than the cause that sets its course
Consequence for the action is a firm, far-reaching force
Therefore discernment looks beyond what seems good at first glance
To see what it will lead to, given enough time and chance

Futile to mourn at heaps that hold what none can resurrect
Better to leave behind what none can find, save in effect
Then learn from our mistakes that made us wiser than we were
Aware that what we do is always hinged to something more

The hardiness of habits makes them very hard to break
Then it is good to be astute in choices that we make
For though at first they may seem too minor to make a fuss
Sooner or later they become the best and worst of us

© Janet Martin

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Kid's Poem on Telling the Truth




I ought to never tell a lie
‘Cause lies like company
And soon the lie that first was one
Turns into two or three
For when a lie begins to lose
Its word-woven disguise
We protect it from the truth
By telling some more lies
And suddenly it’s hard to tell
How many lies were said
So it is always wise and well
To tell the truth instead

© Janet Martin


Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Builder............


She knew she was strong
This builder of walls………
But oh, she was wrong
In her view of it all
For she built up around her
A wall strong and stout
Now it has bound her
And she cannot get out
She thought she was strong
But at the end of the day
She was not strong enough
To take it away

Janet~