Month: December 2020

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Not Too Much to Ask

Not Too Much to Ask

My God gave me my everything.
Everything that makes me bright and happy.
I’m truly in His debt, He loves me so,
My love for others is not too much for Him to ask of me.

He gave me every breath I breathe,
My body, with such detail and quality,
My every moment is because of Him,
To spend those moments helping others is not too much for Him to ask of me. 

He guides me onward, leading me right,
I travel on His paths to mountains I can’t yet see.
He leads me away from rocky roads of pain,
My heed to His directions is not too much for Him to ask of me.

I know that I can live with Him
Because He died for me on Calvary. 
My hope was paid for with his broken heart,
My living to come back home is not too much for Him to ask of me. 

He gave me my heart, my mind, my strength,
And asks so little in return from me. 
And yet, to Him who gave me everything,
I will give whatever He asks of me. 

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Christmas Stars

Stars are something that always pique my sense of wonder and amazement. And I think they make a wonderful metaphor for Christ and some of the lessons we can take from this Christmas season.

Christmas Stars

In the bustle of the trees
The presents, the wrapping,
The parties, the traveling,
The fun and the family,

Don’t forget the stars. 

The stars that remind you 
Of the first Christmas,
And of the shepherds who left their flocks
To witness the Lamb of God.

The stars that belong together,
And remind us of the Shephard’s flock.
There are lambs left to be gathered
Even when the tree is packed away.

The stars that point us ever onward,
That show to us the Way,
Our path back home,
And the covenant mile markers.

The stars that I hope we each see,
This Christmas season,
As we reflect on the Light of the world,
And our sky He lights with stars.

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Will you let Him in?

I wrote this on my mission. To make our house (well, apartment) feel homier, I hung up a lot of gospel art pictures, and on our bathroom door hangs the picture of the Savior knocking on a door. As I was walking by right before personal study, I saw the picture and the line “Will you let Him in?” came into my head, so I wrote a poem about it.

Originally written July 02, 2018

Will you let Him in?

Standing at the door and knocking firmly always stands
With piercing eyes and loving words and open arms, a man.
He waits for you to hear Him there and open wide the door
And when you let Him in, He’ll do as He has done before.

CHORUS: Will you let Him in, into your heart?
Will you let Him in, into your life?
Will you let Him in?
Will you let your Savior in?

Will you let the master Healer lift you off the ground?
Will you let Him take you home, where warmth and love abound?
Will you set your heart free from the sins that hold it down,
And offer up your life to Him, the King with Calvary’s crown?

CHORUS

Will you let the Savior have a place within your heart?
If you let Him in, then He can heal you, He can start
To change your life and make you fit to live with Him again,
So open up the door, and choose to let your Savior in.

CHORUS

Jesus at the Door (Jesus Knocking at the Door), by Del Parson
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Slay a Dragon Every Day

December 7th, 2020, marks the 4 year anniversary of me leaving on my mission. Later this week will be the 2 year anniversary of me coming home from my mission. I have a lot of thoughts about it, and it seems really fast and really slow at the same time. One of my many thoughts about it is that time will keep going whether or not you use it, and that thought inspired me to write this poem.

The title, Slay a Dragon Every Day, comes from a line I heard in a zone conference on my mission. I thought it was a regularly used phrase, but apparently not. I think it ought to be, though.

Slay a Dragon Every Day

It was the first competition of the Marching Band season.
This was my senior year, I was ready to march
The best I ever had, and play the best I’d ever played.

I marched onto that field, and 10 minutes later I marched off, sweatier and out of breath. 
I thought about what I’d just done.
I hadn’t marched or played or performed any better than I usually had,
But I also hadn’t marched or played or performed any worse.

In fact, I had done just as well as every day I had practiced.

I thought about that for a while.
If I had practiced with more intensity, I would have performed that way.
If I had given 110% every day on the practice field,
That’s what I would have left behind on the performance field.

I guess that’s why the saying goes
“Slay a dragon every day.”
We each get the same amount of time,
If we spend it fighting metaphorical orcs or goblins,
We may get something out of it.

But if we slay a dragon every day,
Or at least mount the hill to fight one,
We’re living up to all that we could be,
And not settling for less than giving
110% every day.

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