Lift Your Heart To Heaven

 When we feel falsely accused, when we feel misused, abused,

we should lift our hurt to Heaven

because He was hurt too, by and for us!

"A new command I give you: Love one another. 

As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By this all men will know that you are My disciples, 

if you love one another.”

John 13:34-35

Lift your heart of hurt to heaven

Child of He who loves us so

Praise Him for our sins forgiven

Trust for what we do not know

Let go of resentment’s treason

Turn the other cheek and pray

Do not heed revenge’s reason

Ask Jesus to lead the way

Ask Him to help you be meeker

Than the one who hurt you so

Not to be a vengeance-seeker

Or to return blow for blow

Jesus bore false accusation

But He answered not a word

Lift your heart of hurt to Heaven

Let love heal what hatred stirred

Let love suffer long, my precious

Forgiveness heals evil’s ills

Let love counter words malicious

With the love Jesus instills

Lift your heart of hurt to Heaven

All we suffer, so did He

Praise Him for our sins forgiven

And thank Him for Calvary

© Janet Martin

Setting Such As This...

Gorgeous evening...

Within a setting such as this

Where all the wonder of life is

Where little girls wear pretty curls

And little lads are mischievous

Where twilight flings a gleaming spread

Across earth’s grand four-season bed

Where silhouette of tree is set

Like black ink-art on gold and red

Where thought is torn twixt now and then

Where no one can return again

Save but to trace the phantom face

Or place in fond ‘remember when’

Where we all grow too old too soon

And we are all drawn to the moon

Like moth to flame or guilt to blame

Where longing is an age-old tune

Where we all need someone to love

Where nothing we have is enough

To please us much without the touch

Or fellowship of words like ‘us’

Within the setting that we’ve got

No matter what our load or lot

How sad to miss the life that is

Lost in a world of what is not

© Janet Martin

Because Beauty Really Is In The Eye Of The Beholder...

 What do you see?

For all this spring has not been, it has been a bird-lover's paradise!

We are enjoying a rainbow of feathered flurry!
Here are a few shots from the past 24 hours...

Above; male Baltimore oriole...below; female

 Above; killdeer sitting on a nest in our garden;
lucky for her there has been no tilling or planting activity so far to disturb her!
Below; Rose-breasted Grosbeak

 above; ruby-breasted nuthatch...below gold finches

 above; bluejay...I really wish I could have gotten a shot of the flock of approx. 8!!!
below; mourning dove all in a huff because of the newcomer(the grosbeak:)

 and this small bird below is an immature female oriole! 

(who new, birds have immature females too. 😅 )

My pics are not perfect due to shooting through a screen and tot-smudges on the window and a camera that has trouble focusing but you get a bit of an idea what fun we are having!

There are many varieties of sparrows visiting as well!

below a blurry shot of a chipping sparrow (or a song-sparrow?)

We all came and looked and saw

Criticism found the flaw

Love found hope and beauty’s bloom

Misery saw trouble loom

Thankfulness sang joyfully

Self-pity cried ‘woe is me’

Fear saw the approaching night

Faith was awe-struck by the light

Greed saw little to amaze

Worshipers were filled with praise

© Janet Martin

Creed For Courage

 Ir's not our imagination! according to Who STOLE Ontario's sunshine? Shocking stats, here 

since November we have had unusually less sunshine!

 So we are delighting in the colour of this dawn's awning 😊

 ...but, no matter the color of the canvas, no matter the season

we have plenty of reason to take Courage!

To think enough of self to know we have something to offer

To recognize the heart and mind will spill what fills its coffer

To show through word and deed the seed we nurture, briefly hidden

For what we think becomes the ink with which our lives are written

To learn from our mistakes then leave behind vain accusation

This day the Lord has made is cause for humble celebration

Forbid that we ignore the gift that streams from Mercy’s pardon

To unfold moments rife with life like buds unfold a garden

To rise and shine and count more than the woe that hurts and hounds us

To let God’s divine love and grace encourage and confound us

To make the most of what we have He grants before echoes replace it

And thank Him for whatever comes because He helps us face it

To turn the other cheek and speak words worthy of their flower

And to forget to fret about those things beyond our power

To sense within the groan and grin that here and now composes

Reason to twirl-spin, take a bow and stop to smell the roses

© Janet Martin

On Keeping Our Focus...

 Though life is always full of surprises (many the kind we could do without) 😐

it is SUCH a consolation to know that One wiser and greater has 'got us'

no matter the kerfuffle and 'now what?!'

 Yes, even this late planting season God is in control!

We are poised on the brink of what we hope will be seeds in the soil!

Some cautious blooms are beginning to peek from their bud-beds...

Lord, let nothing fill our heads that fuels pride and vanity

But sink into our hearts instead the wonderment and truth of Thee

Where work and worry of this world will test us to our utter core

And make us realize there is still so much to be thankful for

Whatever we are born to bear since Eden’s sweat and toiling curse

Ought to make us humbly aware, no matter what, it could be worse

Because of Calvary and what was bought and wrought in our place

It wakes in us such awe, to see how blessed we are because of grace

Lord, help us learn to yield and rest our dreams and plans in higher hands

We cannot earn what matters most, then let our boast be Your commands

To guide, protect and keep us pure where it seems holy fear is lost

Your Word infallible and sure will keep secure the ship storm-tossed

Lord, let the prize we fix our eyes upon be something known, not seen

Make us wise to disguises lest we fall prey to deception’s scheme

And let nothing fill our heads that fuels pride and vanity

But sink into our hearts instead the wonderment and truth of Thee

© Janet Martin