God's Desire

This blog is called "writing practice," but it's been mostly journalistic in nature. I've written "articles" taken from my everyday life, which is fine, but I feel I should also insert more of my creativity. I wrote two versions of a short story a few months ago and I added a little creativity to my last post, but I plan to do this more often. The other day, I dug through some of my creative writing files to find a poem for my grandpa and I found some that I want to rework.

Jesus is calling
O sinner, repent.
Your life is unclean
And in constant torment.
You do what you want,
But you're longing for more.
Your existence is empty,
Won't you open the door?
He's waiting for you
With open, loving arms.
He'll keep you safe
From the enemy's harms.
Jesus is calling...
Please, sinner, repent.

The Holy Spirit is calling,
O Christian, obey.
There's numerous ways
To serve Christ today.
He'll speak to you
Through His divine Holy Word.
Your God will instruct you
Though not a voice can be heard.
In prayer, you'll talk with him
As you come boldly to the throne.
With mercy and grace,
He'll lead you toward home.
The Holy Spirit is calling...
Please, Christian, obey.

The Father is calling,
O Christian, please go.
My love to all sinners
I want you to show.
Be a light everywhere, wherever;
Tell what God has done for you.
Spread the gospel in your sphere
Tell each Catholic, Agnostic, and Jew.
Then cross the oceans,
And win foreign lands.
As you, all over the globe,
Proclaim the kingdom is at hand.
The Father is calling...
Please, Christian, won't you go?

The Godhead is calling,
O Christian, come home.
The streets of gold stand ready,
For the redeemed to roam.
The mansions are built
By a Carpenter for you,
Silhouetted against
A sky of deepest blue.
Your work is complete,
You can lay your burden down.
Loved ones gone before
Wait to show you around.
The Godhead is calling...
My child, welcome home.

This is What it Means to be Held

Held by Natalie Grant

Who told us we'd be rescued
What has changed and
Why should we be saved from nightmares
We're asking why this happens to us
Who have died to live, it's unfair
This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was when everything fell
We'd be held

I have loved this song since the first time I heard it. I listened to it again today and was thinking about about how poignant is the line that says that this is how it feels when the sacred is torn from your live but you survive. It makes me think of having everything being swept off a cliff, but you remain, clinging to the edge, dangling. Something about that word "survive" in that song conveys how you feel when you have been through an emotional torrent and you have absolutely nothing left in you, except your life. Wow, do I know that feeling. And I am so glad that I am not still there. I praise God that I was held. He didn't cause the chaos in my life, but He caught me when I fell and held me. What a comfort and strength to know that the God of the universe is not too busy to hold us. That He is concerned about our problems and, like a daddy, is there to pick us up when we fall and hold us to Him. And how wonderful is it to know that we can stretch our arms out to Him, with tears streaming down our faces, and know that like a father will cradle his toddler, God will pick us up too.