Well, this weekend marks the official end of my Summer blog break. I am gratefully linking up with the gang over at dVerse Poets Pub.
I’ve been writing a bit of poetry over the break, and tonight is Open Link Night, so I had to pick one to share.
Some of my favorite writing is not always the most upbeat. Poetry is a safe place where we can lament, mourn, and explore the ragged edges of our own beliefs. Poetry is an open door to the unknown places within. Well, at least that’s how I see it!
😉 SMILES!
I appreciate you taking the time to read these words and look forward to connecting with you in the days ahead… thanks for coming, friends.
Man Plans
I had an old Jewish friend
Full of wisdom
Who used to say
“Man plans, God laughs.”
But, I think God plans and man cries…
And dies a million needful deaths.
Are you laughing, God?
Are you satisfied in my suffering?
You seem a stranger to me today,
Like a friend who has fed into the past-
No longer present but in memories.
Was it only yesterday
I sang your praises?
Or a thousand years ago?
I get it, your timing and mine are light years apart.
But, I don’t want Your way-
It’s too hard…
And I cannot see the Promised Land.
It’s too far off
In the distance –
My eyes see dimly.
Can’t you make a broader path,
Clear my view?
For I’m tired, Lord-
And you promise rest
to your weary ones,
but, I think I’ve lost my way.
We who walk in the desert
walk by faith,
not by sight.
Aug 30, 2014 @ 14:59:16
his way is hard…i think our lamenting often comes in us not getting our way and having to conform a bit…which can be painful when we try to fight it..but also a much easier way when we go with it…
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Aug 30, 2014 @ 15:32:33
I do understand this, Dawn. Sometimes we do want a broader path and a better glimpse of the Promised Land! There is so much we have to trust through our faith, but some days are harder than others.
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Aug 30, 2014 @ 15:42:12
How tough to follow His ways and sometimes the timing is not right for all the wrong reasons ~ Hopefully we can find our way back to His light ~ Hope you are well Dawn ~
Grace
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Aug 30, 2014 @ 15:56:29
I like the way you have expressed the way we struggle with faith and trust, not always a smooth path.
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Aug 30, 2014 @ 16:08:55
I can relate to these thoughts Dawn. Trust can be so hard in seasons like you have described in your well wrttien poem. Peace~
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Aug 30, 2014 @ 16:09:13
written* ha
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Aug 30, 2014 @ 16:52:13
reads like a psalm… they often started with telling god what they didn’t understand…and i often don’t understand as well.. i think it’s important to be honest… he loves enough to meet us where we are… i remember once running uphill in pouring rain and shouting at god for all the things i couldn’t understand…and i swear he didn’t leave me standing in the rain…
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Aug 30, 2014 @ 20:59:44
I think there is some teaching somewhere that makes the point that the road to the light is not easy. Through suffering we grow and so maybe you are in one of those places. The light will become brighter, just be patient. Lovely poem that initiated some thought within me…..
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Aug 30, 2014 @ 21:31:49
I have been so angry at God in my life, this was a beautiful poem.
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Aug 31, 2014 @ 00:04:51
When I read “Man Plans,” I thought you were using “plans” as a noun, so that (gorgeous) picture and the poem that followed made me grin big in the twist it took. I was expecting something about plans for finding a man. 🙂
I totally know where you’re coming from, though. Being a disciple is not an easy road. Just when you think you have it figured out, you find yourself lost and confused again. I suppose God allows us to feel loneliness and pain so that we’ll turn to Him and readily walk into His embrace.
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Aug 31, 2014 @ 01:30:22
I think the evil ways that the world sometimes seem to move is a great way for poetry.. to walk a desert walk is a great image, and sometimes we are utterly alone.
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Aug 31, 2014 @ 02:16:01
I’ve been on a journey that is making me weary and tired, one where I have to fight to stay full of faith and trust Him. I know the road is long, and I can’t see what is up ahead, but I believe HE goes before me and will clear the path. Thank you for sharing. Your poetry is beautiful.
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Aug 31, 2014 @ 10:56:54
beautiful lines…He has laid down so many paths and given us the choice to take one…
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Sep 01, 2014 @ 00:44:35
Well articulated as your poem almost sings..I can feel the struggle and you are not alone.
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Sep 01, 2014 @ 11:01:02
It’s a wilderness journey which you expressed so well (awesome photo too). Take courage, keep following as He leads…your words strike a chord in readers.
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Sep 01, 2014 @ 11:08:10
Thanks for your words, Lynn. I will keep following as He leads.
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Sep 01, 2014 @ 16:01:45
Sometimes the dimmest light is all we can see, through all our trials and grief. We still have to follow it, trusting and knowing there is more light ahead of us.
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