Sapling

Young sapling, we must nourish thee

For someday thou wilt be a tree

And if thou wouldst bear worthy fruits

We must establish wholesome roots

If we provide soft sand for thee

Life’s storms will toss you to the sea

Lord, teach us how to nurture best

This tree, so it may stand life’s test

© Janet Martin

 Psalms 1: 1-3

Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,  
 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.

A Moment's Worth

To pine or fret for what is not

Is simply wasting what we've got

A moment tarries, but a wink

Before it hastens o'er the brink

Into the intangible flow

Of history's mortal bliss or woe

The triumph of its centuries

Played out in moments such as these

Janet Martin

Here's to Summer

Gentle yet vivid

Waves of realization

Split the blue-gold tinted day

As summer drifts

Though umber limbs

Away, away

Fix me a Long Island iced tea

With an extra slice of lime

I sense an insidious mock in the breeze

It rattles the tinny wind-chime

Gentle, yet vivid

Autumn’s preludes

Tremble upon the tip

Of summer’s hour

Softly dwindling

In Time’s bravest grip

Fix me another Long Island iced tea

We’ll toast the summer-time

Thank-you waiter for making it three

Just in the nick of lime

Janet Martin~

Sunday Whirl

Scarred Souvenirs

In a perfect world

One could return

To the unmarred and unscarred

For which we yearn

But this world is not perfect

Betrayal’s art

Brands its scars

Upon a heart

In a perfect world

We would forget

And never be haunted

By rage or regret

But this world is not perfect

Though we choose to forgive

Scars are reminders

As long as we live

In a perfect world

Love's souvenirs

Would not be tarnished

Or stained with tears

But this world is not perfect

So we learn to dance

In the arms of hope

And 'second chance'

Janet~

August Friday Thoughts

May I never be the reason

My children cannot see

Jesus; because they are unable

To see Him shining through me

***

Abide with me

I cannot see

Without Thy faithful Light

Each step I take

Is no mistake

If I walk in Thy might

Abide with me

The enemy

Seeks souls doubting and weak

Faith’s mustard seed

Is all I need

To reach the mountain’s peak

***

Dare to be different

Do not count the cost

Lest we drift in a crowd

That is blind, base and lost

Dare to be different

Like Daniel of old

Lest we reach the Judgment

With only fool’s gold

***

Train up a child

In the way he should go

It’s much harder to train

An adult, you know

***

Before your thought

Spills into a word

Make sure its lot

Is fit to be heard

***

Why standest thou jealously gazing

Into thy neighbor’s field?

Take heed, thou slothful servant

Lest envy taints thy yield

***

If we rejoice when they rejoice

And weep when they must weep

Then we will be the kind of friend

Our friends desire to keep

***

Farther along on this journey of life

We cannot know what a-waits

But this; beyond love’s tender strife

Gleam Heaven’s shining gates

***

Deeper than the stains of sin

Flows love’s amazing grace

Hallelujah, what a Savior

Suffered in our place

***

 The earthly rags

Of love’s humility

Are leading

To the riches of

A heavenly garment

Janet Martin~

 Let us not become weary in doing good, 

for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Gal. 6:9

August's Farewell Song

August plays its farewell lay

In chords of minor key

It ripples in the willow-sway

A wistful melody

August plays its parting hymn

In golden-petal tears

As summer’s strain begins to dim

Before it disappears

August plays its farewell song

A dusty-sweet caress

In notes wrought by the cricket-throng

And vesper-spangled tress

August plays its farewell tune

In sultry-somber sigh

It drifts across the languid noon

In preludes to good-bye

© Janet Martin

On this summer's final August week-end, can you hear it?

A Little Child Shall Lead Them

They smooth away the furrow on the brow

With carefree chatter as they dream and smile

There’s something ‘bout a little girl or boy

That makes the journey here worth every mile

Unburdened by the weight of things unseen

Untroubled by worry and its great waste

Undaunted, they splash in life’s moment-stream

Unaware of its relentless haste

There’s something ‘bout a little boy or girl

And as their laughter drifts upon the hours

An elixir of divine wonderment

Fills the air with butterflies and flowers

‘Unless our faith becomes as one of these’

We cannot enter into Heaven’s joy

‘A little child shall lead them’ Jesus, please

Teach to trust you as a little girl or boy

© Janet Martin

She has no idea how often she teaches me...

I'm sure God smiles, as we hold a new baby

wondering how we are going to teach them...

It felt  like a literal 'miles of dishes' last night
and nobody home but Victoria, who never uttered one
word of complaint, but simply 'did what needed to be done'
Suddenly I was not quite so weary anymore

 

Vision

If we would catch one fleeting glimpse of Him

Nothing but the shadow of His glory and His might

We would bend harder to the humble task at hand

And seek more earnestly His given command

We would loathe the wrong and love the right

If we would catch but one fleeting glimpse of Him

If we would see Him walking across the field

With the Reaper’s sickle in His out-stretched reach

We would bow, forsaking all fickle earthly ties

Trembling beneath the gaze of loving, holy eyes

We would run to seek His law to teach

If we would see Him walking across the field

If we would see the table in Heaven’s Banquet Hall

We would not desire the secret crumbs we crave

But eat the Bread and drink the Cup of His suffering

Knowing that all earthly loss is heaven’s rejoicing

And we would not fear a cold and lonely grave

If we could see the table in Heaven’s Banquet Hall

If we, for one brief twinkle of the eye

Could behold but a fleeting glimpse of Him

The measure of this world could never begin to hold

Anything more desirable than Him in silver or gold

Its lure would instantaneously grow feeble and dim

If we could behold but one fleeting glimpse of Him

© Janet Martin

  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.

For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil. 

Eccles. 12:13-14