The Reward

The “end” is over,
Timeline erased.
Life ran o’er its course;

Heart completed the race.

One last beating.

One last exhale.
One final eye-blink.
Life ends its brief trail.

What more can be done?

What remains beyond?
Mere mem’ries recalled
At setting of sun.

A psalm said o’er life.

A psalm said o’er death.
Prophecy fulfilled,
Shepherd’s love begets.

Mem’ries of Shepherd’s love;

What was now and not yet,
Becomes now and always
As with Shepherd, they sit.

The Lord is my Shepherd,

Said with understanding in full.
He laid them down in green pastures,
Just as He led them by waters still.

He refreshed and restored them

And led them on righteous paths.
The Shepherd gave them peace and calm,
Walking with them, with His rod and staff.

Before eyes of their enemies

Made He a table for His own.
Anointed their heads with oil;
Son and daughter, He made it known.

Faithful and faultless,

Merciful and good,
The Shepherd never left them;
Through their days of life, He always stood.

Breath and heartbeat gone forever.

Timeline faded away.
Eternity stretched before them,
Because of the Ancient of Days.

Surely goodness and mercy followed them

Through the length of their days.
The “not yet” is now theirs,
To God, we now praise.

     For being their Shepherd,
     the One who gave rest and led.
     For being their Savior,
     their Restorer and Righteousness.
     For being their Conqueror,
     their Peace, Rod, and Staff.
     For being their Provider,
     their Defense and Holiness.
     For being their God
     all their days and night.

To them, all that was, their timeline ran out.

The days of their “not yet” have begun without end.

The reward of a life consecrated by God?

Forever hearing “well done” and eternity with the King,
Singing with the angels, “Praise God and Amen!”

In their lives, they sang with men.

Now with the angels, this song never ends:

The Lord is my Shepherd;

I did not want.
He laid me down in green pastures;
He led me beside still waters.
He restored my soul.
He led me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Yes, though I walked through the valley of the shadow of death, I did not fear evil because You were with me;
Your rod and staff comforted me.
You prepared a table for me in the presence of my enemies.
You anointed my head with oil; my cup overflowed.
Surely goodness and mercy followed me all the days of my life.
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen.

Bursting Bubbles

Bubbles-innocuous, light, breezy, and safe;

No harm from bubbles, just gladness and glee.

Yet, when we consider life’s encounters again,

We know bubbles, safe bubbles, leave a film few can see.

Intentions run high and emotions explode;

Feelings burst forth with harsh actions and words.

Like bubbles need air to gain release from soap,

So, emotions need intentions to cause one to hurt.

Emotions burst forth with expelling of air,

With action they cause harm to a person unaware.

Intentions inflate emotions aimed to cause harm;

They touch upon the person near like a storm.

Yes, bubbles are soft, light, and breezy we see,

But when touched, their pop leaves a sticky ring.

It remains until washed, a reminder of fun,

But sticky, emotion-bubbles, we don’t want that sting.

Those emotion-bubbles, unsought and avoided

Leave a film of pain on the body, heart, and mind.

What should have been fun, a relationship of trust,

Turned into emotions bursting sore and maligned.

Fear, pain, distrust, questions arise with each breath.

Heart broken, now unknowing, what else is there?

Lingering onward and uncertainty rising,

Will emotions erupt, bursting, showing no care?

Fear takes over, heartbeat quickens wond’ring

Where’s the love and do I risk myself daring?

Bubbles-light, airy, free, and endless fun

Unless bubbles spring from emotions unbound.

Still, like all bubbles, their film can be washed off.

With water, the film from the wound is expunged.

For emotion-bubbles, the water comes from eternal springs;

It brings with it cleansing from pain, fear, and grief.

The Washer is from Whom all life gets its being

And by Whom film-pain from sin is removed, is cleaned.

The waters for cleansing flow from His mercy seat;

Flowing endless, downward for all in great need.

These waters, offered in love, flow pure and free

As a gift of His compassion, love, and mercy.

God’s waters bring life, health, and healing;

They bring together the hearts for Him who seek.

By His waters, lives, hearts, are joined richly together

Protecting, encouraging, and richly nurt'ring.

From water, bubbles are made with intent of people,

Adding breath and intention to form floating air-balls.

From water comes healing, health, and connection,

A mercy from the Father Who created us all.

Consider anew each bubble you create;

Will it float light, breezy, playful, and safe?

Or will you form your emotion-bubble

And cause darkness, fear, heartbreak, and pain?

God wants each relationship to blossom and thrive,

So, He sends His eternal waters to wash sins away.

Redemption, cleansing, new and abundant life

Comes from accepting His grace and by Him being saved.

 “The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10 [NASB])

“Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming form the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (Revelation 22:1-2 [NASB])