O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.
-George Matheson

Take Time

I was finally cleaning out one of my drawers today and came across years of collections of papers and writings. Some as old as 8-9 years. Things I hadn't gone through for quite a while, forgotten that I had or the like. I found some very good quotes and poems that I mean to share here. I hope you are blessed.

W e must take time to pray. It is the source of righteous thought and action.
We must take time to be friendly. It leads to happiness.
We must take time to enjoy the children around us. Both we and they will profit from it.
We must take time to be kind. Life is to short and time to precious to live selfishly.
We must take time to perform the many little duties of love. It will enrich our lives as nothing else will.
We must take time to help our neighbor in time of need. We may need his help tomorrow.
We must take time to think. It will help us use our time more wisely.
We must take time to work. It gives us the feeling of accomplishment and self-worth.
We must take time to read. We learn through it.
We must take time to play. It keeps us young.
We must take time to sing. It drives away evil thoughts and lifts our spirits.
We must take time to look around. Seeing nature's beauties reminds us to worship the great Creator.
We must take time to live right. It is life's only last investment.

"God has two dwellings - one in heaven, the other in a meek and thankful heart." - I. Walton

"A learned fool is one who has read everything, and simply remembered it." - Josh Billings

"It is by presence of mind in untried emergencies that the native metal of a man is tested."

"It's easy to be an angel if nobody ruffles your feathers." -"Jermima"

O Sacred Head Now Wounded

O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,

Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;

O sacred Head, what glory, what bliss till now was Thine!

Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call Thee mine.

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners’ gain;

Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.

Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ’Tis I deserve Thy place;

Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,

For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?

O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,

Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.

The Rat Race....Or?

We whizzed along the great big city freeway. The headlights of hundreds of cars flashed by on the opposite side, the dim lights in front of us flashed and glanced. The glittering light of buildings and sign and billboards flashed at us as we sped along. Looking out the window over the valley all you could see as far as eye could see was city lights, glittering the darkness.

I stood in a huge, city mall. The rock music blaring, people zipping to and fro. Whizzing around from place to place. Salespeople interrupted you with offers as you walked by. Each store's signs screamed out to you sales, lower prices, and all kinds of discounts if you would just buy one thing. Each store trying to out do the other with their wild music, trying to lure you in. My head pounded, warning me if I spent to long here I'd have a throbbing headache.

A sad ache crept over me as I traversed the mall going from store to store. What a life.... how can people stand it? To this quiet country girl this life seemed insane.

"You're a high school senior? Are you going to university? If you go you'll meet a cool, handsome guy and fall in love!! You'll meet so many people! What will you do? What will you be?" I shook my head, as if I don't already meet lots of cool people.

Steadily I climbed the mountain path, it was rocky and lined on either side by thorny bushes. Often I had to stop to rest and then pressed on.

We finally met some others coming down the path. They said, "The climb is hard, but the view is so worth it!" Oh how true... We finally came in view of the peak and then we saw the rest of our family and friends waiting for us up there. "So close to the top, don't give up now, I thought." I'm not a quitter. I'm almost there, I'll gain the peak. As I looked out over the valley. The view was was gorgeous. It was worth the climb. So in life, the path is hard, rocky and steep but when we reach heaven the climb will be worth it all.

Having seen so much of how short life is. Of how fleeting it is. The glitter of lights, the swing of the music, the offers that billboards scream to you have no appeal to me. The necessities you need to have to live. But the glittering of city life, the rushing and bustling I prefer to stay out of.

To trust in God for each day and to walk with Him along the way. Remembering how short life is and how swiftly it can be snatched away. I thank God for wide open spaces, for allowing me to be born and raised in the country. For giving me a love for a life and a culture which is totally, vastly different from that of the life in the city.

To those of my dear friends who live in the city, I still love you all very much. But I must say that spending a week and a half in the gigantic city of Los Angeles has definitely not increased my liking for cities but steadily decreased what wasn't there.