REPENT AND LIVE!

You snorted,

“I have something special for you.” she said with a smile.

Your face betrayed you

and you walked away

from the gift she held behind her back.

She never changges, you thought.

Her tears spoke more than you’ll ever know.

It is YOU who must change.

Jesus cried too.

She knows His love

and her heart began to heal.

By Martha L Shaw – © 2019

LISTEN TO HIS VOICE

“ALL of my senses listen, see, and appreciate the love of God in His amazing gifts such as these and so many more!! ” –Martha Shaw

 

 

“There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks. Most of the time we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough, to pay attention to the story” – Linda Hogan –

 

SHEEP VERSUS HUMANS

When I was a child my Sunday School teacher told us a story of the lost sheep.   I was NOT impressed.  Most of my young classmates thought “oh, they are so cute.”  Not me!

You see, after hearing about still water and green pastures and a shepard, I thought the sheep had a good life and decided the one the shepard had to hunt for to protect him from getting hurt . . . well I thought he was stupid.  Follow the leader, eat, play, sleep, trim the grass . . . ie snack time, repeat next day.so why not do as your told, wandering sheep?

HOW’S YOUR LIFE GOING?

The Bible tells us that we have a Good Shepard and we are His sheep.  All we must do is listen and follow.  How’s that working for you?  As for me, this sheep often neglects to pay attention, thinking MY idea sounded good, “maybe God will support MY idea instead.”  WRONG!  The loving Good Shepard came after me, protected me, loved me, and taught me which way to go WITH HIM.

Ultimately, supporting myself is NEVER going to lead me to the life and purpose God has for me.  I am trying to listen better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A JOYFUL SERVANT

Sometimes . . .

You have to listen really closely

To hear the music in the silence.

But, once you hear it,

Your heart will never forget its voice.

NATURE’S VOICE

Tears of Joy

I sit at the water’s edge

hearing the music of the droplets

tumbling over the rocks at the shore . . .

sounds of strength and hope.

By Martha L Shaw – ©  2015

SEEK, SMILE, GIVE THANKS

 

I awakened to clouds

Hindering the sunshine

From lifting my spirits

As I approached the new day.

Stretching,

I sipped morning tea

In my quiet place

Saying nothing.

I heard only

The soft restful breaths

From my pup

Who snuggled close to me

And feared nothing.

I found my heart

And soul awakening finally

Then a bit of morning light

Caught my eye

As a bird called out

To her hungry wee ones.

A duet of fluttering wings

Met fluttering leaves

And the last of the raindrops

Rippled on the ground.

There is always beauty to be found.

New days meet new opportunities.

To find, we must

Seek, smile, and give thanks!

I did.

By Martha L Shaw – © 2017

 

FAITH IS THE ANSWER!

Those who live always filling time ranting and blaming others will always be unhappy. WHY CHOSE THIS? You only hurt yourselves in doing so. Those you rant about are taking steps to move on with their lives!

 

PRAY! LISTEN! FOLLOW HIM!

The Teacher

The task waited,

And waited,

And waited,

And finally I was staring at the calendar . . .

WHAT?????

It was time to act.

Actually, it was weeks beyond that,

But finally I was forced to do so.

Why did I listen to the wrong voice?

It is done.

It was simple.

He told me so, I’m sure,

Yet I was distracted by foolishness

Loud enough to drown out

His voice.

His love and patience . . .

Beyond measure.

Ah,

Another lesson learned.

 

By Martha L Shaw – ©8-12-2013

Mastering The Art of Listening – Daily Prompt: I Got Skills

The Daily Prompt has really challenged me this time.  Have you checked it out?  Click here and read all about it if you dare!  We were asked “If you could choose to be a master (or mistress) of any skill in the world, which skill would you pick?” Wow.  Think about it.  Oh, how easy it is to think of what I’d wish for if I found a genie in a bottle and could ask for anything, but fairy tales aren’t real and the challenge isn’t to choose between a handsome prince, a shiny new car, or an endless supply of gold, but rather what skill would I like to master. 

As I sit here in my home office, the television news is on in the background.  I’m hearing of school shootings, striking school bus drivers, high unemployment rates and political discord, to name just a few of the painful situations many of us face.  The answer came to me to this challenge as I heard all of these familiar battles.  I’d love to be the master (okay mistress, oops) of the art of listening!  Think about it!  Surely, we all want what’s best, don’t we?

• What’s best for me?
• What’s best for my family, my children?
• What’s best for my future?
• What’s best for my neighborhood, my town, my state?
• What’s best for my country?
• What’s best to promote unity?  To gain world peace?

So many questions and ultimately, the answer to each one, as I view it, is the same.  We just don’t listen!  Oh, I’ve said it many times; “I hear you.”  But was I really listening?  Did I really hear?  Did I really care?  I should care  . . . I must care.  But . . . are my listening skills all they should be?  Listening and caring go hand in hand and in order for the challenges in our lives to change for the good, we must not simply “listen”, but truly listen and focus and with an open-mind and an open heart.  Peace and unity wouldn’t be a long-shot or a false hope held by the naïve . . . it would be OURS!  How great would it be if someone didn’t have to come to me and say “listen to me!”  Why not?  Because they would know that I had the skill mastered!

Shhh!

When you have nothing to say, it does not matter how many syllables you use.