God’s Calling and Where To Find Me

So, how’s that for a title to a post?  God has a purpose in the lives of each one of us and sometimes this purpose changes throughout our lives and in different stages of our walk with Him.  In my case I think He and I have gone full circle and we are back to a calling I have known in my soul since pre-school.  I am to write.  As yet, my financial provision is still a mystery and I admit when it became clear I was to be a Christian/Spirituality themed writer and poet, my initial reaction was “But Lord I have to eat and have a roof over my head.”  He has a plan for that too and well . . . this human is sometimes accused of thinking too much, so I think He’s holding back on details to teach me more.

Funny and sometimes scary thing about walking with the Lord is that at various points the GPS doesn’t provide clear signs.  So, the choice is to pull over and park or to cruise along knowing there’s enough gas in the tank and snacks and water in the back seat and knowing He’ll not let me get too lost.  So, I’m cruising along a pretty road with lots of trees and flowers and trying to be blessed by them and not worry about His doing His part.  I’ve been looking for new ways to share my God-given gifts and ways to expand as a writer and praying about it and along with some other things He and I are working on, I am now a contributing author/writer on the following three blogs.  Please be sure to check them out if you haven’t yet.  The variety of writing and writers is wonderful and the talent is as well.  I am blessed to be a part of these sites:

Poet’s Corner 

Armor of God

The Christian Gazette

Song of the Angels

Music of the angels,

Sounds resonating

Outside my window.

Peace, joy, praise

Calms my body

And uplifts my soul.

A bark,

A tweet,

A clap of thunder.

Love of God,

Nature . . . nurture  . . .

Comes in all shapes and sizes.

He made and loves them all.

By Martha L Shaw – © 4-18-2013

Divine Upcycle – A Tanka

Hungering to serve,

Yet I always fall so short.

Jesus amazes!

He picks up all my messes

And somehow still He blesses!

By Martha L Shaw © 4-10-2013

Reach Out In Hope – A Tanka Poem

 

What is hopelessness?

Perhaps looking through veiled eyes.

Seeing nothing yet

Surrounded by everything.

Even weeds grow in the rain.

By Martha L Shaw © 4-4-2013

Daily Prompt: Bedtime Stories

The Challenge:  What was your favorite book as a child? Did it influence the person you are now?

Oh, I am a bit late seeing this DP Challenge but I simply must answer it for there is a definite and immediate name, book, and direct influence on my life!

There is a book, which I still have, and loved from before I knew how to read.  I looked at it at bedtime and every other chance I got.  The pages are worn not from age but from the frequency they’ve been flipped through.  The book and author not only influenced the woman I am now but helped set a path for my life, my outlook on the world around me, and my writing to this very day.  His work also helped to form the means by which I express myself spiritually and through which the Lord uses me to share Himself with others i encounter on my path.

The book:  A Child’s Garden of Verses

The author:  Robert Louis Stevenson

I have been in love with poetry and with nature from the first time I heard his words about birdies, swings, the sea, and more.  Oh, the adventures, the glorious sunshine streaming through his words and more.  I saw a world I didn’t know and it had music, it was full of color, and it was one I hungered to see and interpret artistically myself.  What I didn’t know was that the author of these words which so touched me came from the pen of a man who was always quite physically ill . . . indeed from the time he was young.  Amazing. Stevenson was born in 1850 and Scottish – I as well have Scottish ancestry.  His writing and poetry have touched so many generations!  His death in 1894 has not changed this as new generations still discover the magic from his pen, just like I did.  I cannot imagine my own writing becoming the legacy that his did, but I cannot look at a bird, a swing, a cow, or an ocean wave without knowing they are beautiful, magical, and possess a power and unique purpose . . . just as every one of us do.  To learn more of this man and his legacy, click here.  Want to change a child’s life forever?  Teach them to love reading!  Buy them a book!  Read to them!

Sunday Post: Captivating

 

Captivating

Life,

Like the earth around me,

Often seems hard,

Dry,

Barren.

Where is the rain?

Where is the fruit for which I hunger?

Ah,

But when you squeeze my hand;

I am reminded that I walk this path

Not alone but with you.

Suddenly,

I am enchanted!

The Light in your eyes

Illuminates my world anew.

I hear you  . . . I see you . . .

in the flora and fauna . . .

in all that surrounds me.

How could I have failed to see?

These human eyes,

Why do they betray me?

As I gaze into yours,

I see myself

Changed by your love.

I am captivated by the opportunities

Suddenly my own,

By the beauty you’ve laid before me.

I wonder,

How could I so long have missed it?

By Martha L Shaw  - words and pictures © 3-2-2013

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Join this challenge!

Click the image below:

Weekly Photo Challenge: Lost in the Details

Love this challenge!  Getting lost in the details means, to me, an invitation to slow down a bit and appreciate God’s creation at a deeper level than I normally would in this rush and hurry world.

Hope of Spring

Copyright 3-1-2013 – Martha L Shaw

Hope of Spring

My heart,

Still chilled from the long hard winter,

Fluttered just a bit

At the sight of

A simple, tiny flower

Poking its pretty face

Above the cold ground

By the rocks and trees

In the woods nearby.

Smiling,

I realize the coldness in my heart,

Like the snow,

Has begun to melt.

By Martha L Shaw © 3-1-2013

Love and Forgiveness – A Poem and Prayer

 

Forgive me Lord . . .

For the many times I’ve been so caught up

in the new problems of the day

that I never even thanked you,

nor even at first noticed

the answered prayers of yesterday.

I am truly thankful for your love,

Your patience,

Your provision,

And your constant presence.

Teach me to reflect your love in my suffering

Just as you did when you suffered

So much more than I can ever comprehend

Out of your immeasurable love for me.  Amen

By Martha L Shaw – © 2-28-2013

The Branch of Hope – A Poem

I lay in my bed

Wondering why I felt this pain?

I just wanted to do the right thing

And there I was

Unable to do a thing

Because the pain even laying still

Was hard to take.

Prayer didn’t come easily

For the sharp pain distracted me.

Why?

“Please make it go away.”

Jesus never said that

When they pierced Him

For my sin.

He was nailed to a tree for me . . .

Then suddenly,

These thoughts changed

From sadness into joy and hope

For up on a high branch

Even in the stormy rainy day

A few tiny birds

Sang sweetly to me

And I forgot my pain

For a time

And instead felt thankful

And filled with hope.

By Martha L Shaw © 2-22-2013

Daily Prompt: The Clock

How To Build A Playhouse

 

I heard the car door slam,

and immediately looked a the clock.

Daddy’s home!

As I ran to the door I couldn’t help noticing

The giant box on the car roof!

Whatever could it be?

Lots of ropes wound about it

And clearly there was nothing in it,

Or so I thought.

An empty wooden crate?

Why?

As Daddy struggled to remove it,

I saw his excited smile

And knew it was not just an empty crate at all,

But one filled with his love for me!

I was right!        

By Martha L Shaw – © 2-16-2013

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