Spring and Sorrow: A Contemplation Of Poetry And Peace

Spring Blooms

I tried not to let the rain get to me, not to let the pain fall over me.

I couldn’t hold it in anymore. The rain was my tears.

It was my anger and my hope and my fear.

Not the way you left, but the way you didn’t stay.

Not for the river, for the sky above.

Not for the clouds, for the flowers beneath.

Not for new birth, for my will to stay.

Not for the hope to say ‘you’re in my way.’

Aftermath

It’s all in your head, in the piece you left behind.

Walk on the flowers, walk on the path.

Not in you heart, the piece I tried to save.

What does it matter? It’s lost in the aftermath.

It hurts inside, it hurts outside.

Like the thunder on the horizon,

It sends pain through my veins.

Now, I’m just trying to hold on.

In the wind, in the rain.

In the storm, in the peace.

In the quiet, in the thunder.

In the waiting, beating mess.

Spring is a time of new beginnings, a time to reflect on your earlier Christian duties and remember who you are in Christ Jesus.

I read a lot of poetry when I was in school. I mean, I still am in school, but I’m finished for the 2023-2024 year.

However, I used to dislike poetry,

A lot.

It was slow and hard to decipher.

Now. I’m writing it and I’m forcing myself to make it easier for other people to decipher.

Sometimes, I mess that up.

Sometimes it’s really hard to focus on what the reader hears instead of what I’m trying to say.

So sometimes I’ll just write it for me.

You don’t have to please everyone with what you do. You don’t always have to be the perfect little girl. God knows you’re unperfect, and He loves you anyway.

You don’t have to set your mind on pleasing God because it’s impossible.

You’re not going to meet His standards.

Because the Devil is there, and has been and will always be.

At least, until then End Days.

Which is not for now. Right now we have to think about just how much you have to do to make that connection, the connection between you and God, stronger.

Bless others, in your actions and yoir words. Blessings are hard to come by in this ugky world, so we, as Christians have to stand out as the ones who…help others.

Remember, not all versions of blessing people mekes them happy. Sometimes it’s the way you make them unhappy that shows them the true way they're been acting.

Here are a few reminders on how and why we bless others:

First, don’t think everything you’re going to do will please everyone. Every person is made differently, so they’ll all have different preferences and opinions. Therefore, you will never be able to please everyone, someone will always be disappointed. Don’t set your mind on that then, set your time and energy on making the people you care about feel blessed. That’s your job, at least for now.

Second, don’t let the disappointed people get to you. It’s impossible to serve everyone equally, and if that means you can’t serve them all at the same time, it means someone’s not always going to be happy. It means you’re doing your job as well as your human self can. You don’t have to take it out on yourself because you’re human. You’re made in God’s image, doing what He asks you to do. And do it well.

And last, a few ways to bless the people around you.

Smile, don’t be low, let people see Jesus through your pain. Let them see his pillar inside you.

Be kind and show people honesty. Honesty is found once in every hundred people these days. So bless people with your truth, whether it’s the truth of the Gospel, or the truth of your story (as in, the way Jesus turned you from a lonely sinner into a pillar for hit greatness.)

Show people the gospel, but don’t force it on them. God didn’t create hell because he knew the Christians were going to force people to convert. God created hell because true love can only be found on the other side of fear. You don’t have to show everyone the Gospel, because they’ll see Jesus in every blessing you give.

Don’t change yourself for them, let them see the real side of you. Don’t try changing for other people. Let them see who you are, because it’s who you are that God loves.

Respect your elders.

Speak with confidence in your God because He’s the one holding you up.

Release your pain into God, and you’ll see just how strong He is.

If you’ve accepted Christ, He’ll show in everything you do because He’s already part of you.

And trust me, others will see that too.

Stay faithful.

~Claudia~