Can a Little Child like Me

Can a little child like me

thank the Father fittingly?

Yes, O yes! be good and true,

patient, kind in all you do;

love the Lord and do your part;

learn to say with all your heart,

Refrain: 

Father, we thank thee! Father, we thank thee!

Father in heaven, we thank thee!

For the fruit upon the tree,

for the birds that sing of thee,

for the earth in beauty dressed,

father, mother, and the rest,

for thy precious, loving care,

for thy bounty ev'rywhere, [Refrain]

For the sunshine warm and bright,

for the day and for the night,

for the lessons of our youth--

honor, gratitude, and truth--

for the love that met us here,

for the home and for the cheer, [Refrain]

For our comrades and our plays,

and our happy holidays,

for the joyful work and true

that a little child may do,

for our lives but just begun,

for the great gift of thy Son, [Refrain] 

Words attributed to Mary Mapes Dodge, 

Music "Thanksgiving" by William K. Bassford

Source: hymnary.org

Hymn of Trust

by Richard Baxter, 1683
born November 12, 1615
died December 8, 1691

Lord, it belongs not to my care
Whether I die or live;
To love and serve Thee is my share,
And this Thy grace must give.

If life be long, I will be glad,
That I may long obey;
If short, yet why should I be sad
To welcome endless day?

Christ leads me through no darker rooms
Than He went through before;
He that unto God’s kingdom comes
Must enter by this door.

Come, Lord, when grace hath made me meet
Thy blessèd face to see;
For if Thy work on earth be sweet
What will Thy glory be!

Then I shall end my sad complaints
And weary sinful days,
And join with the triumphant saints
That sing my Savior’s praise.

My knowledge of that life is small,
The eye of faith is dim;
But ’tis enough that Christ knows all,
And I shall be with Him.

1683

When I Have Gone

by Barbara C. Ryberg

When I have gone, remember I'm with Jesus;
Then do not grieve because I've passed away.
Life holds so many griefs and disappointments;
And will you weep because I did not stay?

'Tis only for a spell we must be parted;
Not many years on earth to us are given.
And when my Saviour tells me you are coming,
I'll go with Him, and welcome you to heaven.

Grieve not because the eyes that looked upon you
Shall never see your face on earth again;
Rejoice because they look upon the Saviour,
Who gave His life to ransom sinful men.

Weep not because I walk no longer with you;
Remember, I am walking streets of gold.
Weep for yourselves that you a while must tarry,
Before the blessed Lord you may behold.

In Acceptance Lieth Peace

a poem by Amy Wilson Carmichael
16 December 1867 – 18 January 1951

He said, "I will forget the dying faces;
The empty places,
They shall be filed again.
O voices moaning deep within me, cease,"
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in forgetting lieth peace.

He said, "I will crowd action upon action,
The strife of faction shall stir me and sustain;
O tears that drown the fire of manhood, cease."
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in endeavor lieth peace.

He said, "I will withdraw me and be quiet,
Why meddle in life's riot?
Shut be my door to pain.
Desire, thou dost befool me, thou shalt cease."
Not in aloofness lieth peace.

He said, "I will submit; I am defeated.
God hath depleted My life of its rich gain.
O futile murmurings, why will ye not cease?"
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in submission lieth peace.

He said, "I will accept the breaking sorrow
Which God tomorrow will to His Son explain."
Then did the turmoil deep within him cease.
Not vain the word, not vain;
For in Acceptance lieth peace.

A Holiday Healing Tradition

How do we honour and give tribute to the memories of a loved one who is no longer with us, who would have always been a key part of our celebrations? Consider creating a new ritual that can become a tradition for Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries or other special holidays or events.  

An advent wreath, holiday centrepiece or lighting of a candelabra is a traditional part of the holidays and celebrations in many homes. It can be simple, with evergreen cuttings in which you can place four or five candles of similar or varied colour and size. Some are placed as a table centrepiece, or on a side table or fireplace mantel. Some keep the same candles to use at each annual event or refresh them new each time. It is completely up to you how elaborate or simple you choose to go.

What follows here are some suggested words from a Christian perspective to accompany the lighting of five candles in a healing tradition. There are other versions of this healing ritual available online. Feel free to change the wording to suit your family or faith tradition. You may wish to replace (you) with the name of your loved one.

*  *  *  *  *

As we light these five candles in honor of (you), we light one for our grief, one for our courage, one for our memories, one for our love and one for our hope.

The first candle represents our grief. The pain of losing (you) is intense. It reminds us of the depth of our love for (you) and the presence of the Holy Spirit who comforts us in (your) absence.

The second candle represents our courage - to confront our sorrow, to comfort each other, to live fully into the present and move forward into the future with the strength that God gives.

The third candle is for our memories - the times we laughed, the times we cried, the times we were angry with each other, the silly things (you) did, and the caring and joy (you) gave us.

The fourth candle is the light of love. Each day we cherish the special place in our hearts that will always be reserved for (you). We are grateful for the gift of love (you) brought to each of us and we thank God for your love.

And this final candle is for our hope. Our love and memories of (you) belong to us while we live on this earth and we have the assurance that because we have trusted in Jesus’ death and resurrection, we will meet again in heaven.

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,

Amen.

Original author unknown, attributed to various online sources. Adapted by Joyce E. Rempel

Photo credit: depositphotos.com #1766055 and #9467773, standard license

Capabilities

Have you ever noticed how uniquely adapted each animal is to its environment and its way of life? On land, a duck waddles along ungainly on its webbed feet. In the water, it glides along smooth as glass. The rabbit runs with ease and great bursts of speed, but I've never seen one swimming laps. The squirrel climbs anything in sight but cannot fly (unless you count great airborne leaps from limb to limb), while the eagle soars to mountaintops.

Each creature has its own set of capabilities with which it will naturally excel… unless it is expected or forced to fill a mold it doesn’t fit. A squirrel is a squirrel – being expected to swim will drive a squirrel nuts. Eagles are beautiful creatures in the air but not in a foot race. The rabbit will win every time – unless, of course, the eagle gets hungry.

What’s true of creatures in the forest is true of Christians in the family. God has not made us all the same. He never intended to. He planned that there be differences, unique capabilities, variations in the Body. So concerned was He that we realize this, He spelled it out several times in His Word. I charge you to take the time to read 1 Corinthians 12 slowly and aloud. Those thirty-one verses tell us about His desires and designs – which are more attractive than any thirty-one flavors!

The subject is commonly called "spiritual gifts," and it is as helpful as any truth the believer can ever know. In a nutshell, here's the scoop.

God has placed you in his family and given you a certain mixture that makes you unique. No mixture is insignificant!

That mix pleases Him completely. Nobody else is exactly like you. That should bring you pleasure, too.

When you operate in your realm of capabilities, you will excel in the whole body will benefit… And you will experience incredible satisfaction.

When others operate in their realm, (then) balance, unity, and health automatically occur in the Body. It’s amazing!

But when you compare… or force… or entertain expectations that reach beyond your or others’ God given capabilities, then you can expect frustration, discouragement, mediocrity, and, in the long run, defeat.

If God made you a duck saint – you're a duck, friend. Swim like mad but don't get bent out of shape because you wobble when you run. Furthermore, if you're an eagle saint, stop expecting squirrel saints to soar… or rabbit saints to build the same kind of nests you do.

Accept your spiritual species. Cultivate your capabilities. Stop comparing. Enjoy being you!

A Finishing Touch: No one else is exactly like you. Cultivate your capabilities. Refuse to compare or control.

A Daily Reading: 1 Corinthians 12 – slowly and aloud!

Exerpt from The Finishing Touch: Becoming God’s Masterpiece (A Daily Devotional) by Charles R. Swindoll, p. 364-365.

Photo credit: Depositphotos.com #5148405, standard license

Why We Write

by Julia Cameron

There are many things that resist naming,

And that is why we write.

We write because language is slippery,

And the truth is.

We write because

The light we have to see by

Is always shifting.

Never forget that writers are prophets.

We speak in tongues.

We testify.

We are for each other a believing mirror.

Our words make us visible.

Our listening makes us heard.

Never forget that writers are soldiers.

Our writing is the long march,

The walk into time.

Each word is a drum.

We sound it across great distances,

Reaching each other and ourselves.

Every poem is a day’s march.

A celebration more necessary than water or wine.

Every poem is a drink of blood.

Never forget that writing is an act of courage—

Not on the days when it is simple and we discount it.

Not on the days when it is hard and we write like sand.

Our words are torches.

We pass them hand to hand

And mouth to mouth

Like a burning kiss.

Never forget to say thank you.

Every syllable is a grace.

from Floor Sample: A Creative Memoir