Your Day to Shine

IS THERE NO CONVERSATION?

Is there no conversation, only what
I thought I heard you say? Is talk for naught,
To filter chosen words through a thousand strains
For twisted meaning, getting for all our pains
A garbled message? Tone can soften doubt,
The loving look carries greater clout;
Non-verbal cues impress beyond our speech,
So bungled words and dullish ears may reach
A common understanding. So hear me out.

—JRMatheny

First attempt at email posting. Not sure I’ll try that again. Lousy result.

Past opportunities

Be thankful for all the opportunities you missed. They still remind you that God is generous and that you can take advantage of the next one.

Sooner

The sooner we resolve issues, the less stress and difficulty we will feel. The longer we wait, the larger the problem grows. Problems don’t resolve themselves, pro-active people do.

Most problems are relational, and valuing the relationship means addressing differences and conflicts head-on, having a willingness to risk losing the relationship entirely in order for it to mature and deepen.

Start small

Nurture the smallest seed of gratitude, water the grain of graciousness, let tiny joys occupy the open spaces of your heart. Wait not for the great emotions, for the grandiose thoughts. Watch for the little ones with potential for growth. You will never lack then for truths to warm your heart or pleasant blooms to surround your feet.

Iron-clad reason

It’s March 1st. Do you want this month to be different, better, superior, than February? How to get off square one and move forward?

Be done with excuses. Move from where you are now to a clear goal by defining your Iron-Clad Reason that no excuse will undermine.

Your power motivation. What the logicians call your warrant.

Define:

Where you are now (status).
Where you want to get to (goal).
What will move you from 1 to 2 (reason).
Positive, incremental steps to move you forward (objectives).

Write down these four definitions. Share them. Read them frequently, at least daily. Ask yourself how you can insert these into your schedule, into your consciousness.

From a child, I have learned

From a child, I have learned that from heaven God reigns,
And on earth there are whys for our tears and all pains;
As a child I was taught that this world isn’t fair,
That the need for the Cross is what all people share.

Early on, parents told me to be true and kind,
That the gems that were best, under rocks I would find;
I should work before play, give each person his due,
Stand up straight, take your licks, to your promise be true.

The Lord Looks Down from Heaven

Read Psalms 14 and 15 in the NLT

The Lord looks down from heaven on our race,
In search of someone wise to seek his face;
But who will praise his name and do his will,
To cease from fools, and find in God his fill?

Now who can worship in his holy house?
He whose lips refuse to gossip or grouse,
The blameless, righteous life, all sin removed,
Will stand forever, a soul by God approved.

Be wise, then, men and women on earth below,
The Lord invites us come, this path we know;
In his communion of love he makes us whole,
In him, our joy, our crown, our glorious soul.

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I probably should have given this a different title, since it is almost identical to my devotional on my blog, written today, and which also inspired this poem. But what’s done is done.

The old standard of iambic pentameter does the job still of pounding out the majestic truths.

As far as content, the first stanza reflects Psalm 14, the second, Psalm 15, and the third is my not-so-inspired comment.

I pray you’ll be blessed to read the psalms and will share both the psalms and the poem with your contacts.

The Prophet Zechariah Raised His Eyes

The Prophet Zechariah Raised His Eyes

by J. Randal Matheny

The prophet Zechariah raised his eyes,
And saw a flying scroll, to his surprise.
The scroll said every thief would be expelled,
The other side, all liars would soon be felled.
“But in our age is God not love and grace?”
The anger of God at sin does time erase?
Did God lift Satan to sit at his right hand?
“But human we are: we’re weak against sin to stand.”
To choose Sodom above the Lord is weak?
Is weakness to love Gomorrah’s filth, to seek
Out sin for pleasure, to cheaply sell the soul?
I soon expect to see that flying scroll!

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This poem, at first, seems harsh and negative. So what’s it doing in a motivational site? In the darkness, light stands out starkly.