Afraid of the Dark

AFRAID OF THE DARK

My daughter and I sat in the afternoon sun.

Around the house her boys did run.

As we talked, the house grew dim

None of us noticed until my husband came in.

Then my husband turned on the light

And the room became very bright.

The darkness increased in our little hall,

So our grandsons wouldn’t pass through there at all.

I thought it interesting, how minutes ago

They were running through there putting on a show;

And then I realized that children love light

For not long ago they left Heavenly Father’s sight.

This made me think of committing “little” sins

Where I don’t notice my light of Christ has grown dim,

And I begin choosing not to let Him in.

Gradually my life becomes dark and grim.

So daily I’ll strive to keep my light bright,

By choosing to follow my Savior’s light

And do my best to do what is right;

Then one day I’ll be worthy to return to God’s sight.

LOOK UP!

LOOK UP!

  

  Look Up! Not down

It’s such a simple phrase.

Yet how often on my face I drown

Because of shame or fear to Heaven-ward gaze.

    Look up! And study His out stretched hand.

Each one in His wounded hand is graven there.

And Christ can heal my broken heart

If I do as He commands

And turn to my Father in Heaven in sincere and fervent prayer.

    Look up!  Let Christ break the heavy chains

Which bind me to a sinful world

And cause my heart to ache with such agonizing pain.

If only I allow the Savior in my life to reign.

His flag of victory can, at last for me, be completely unfurled.

   Look up!  See;

His hand is stretched out still.

Christ is waiting there for me

To change my gaze and choose to do His will.

  

  Look up!  Not down.

It’s such a simple phrase.

But if I want to stop falling on the ground,

I must firmly fix my humble gaze

upon my Savior’s loving face.

I Kind of, Sort of, Want to Change

I’m sort of good, and not quite bad.

This vision makes Mother rather sad;

For I am tethered to a pole,

And as I walk I dig a hole.

I say I have the right to choose,

But the one wearing blinders is the one who will lose.

A year ago I told my mom, “in a month I’ll be free,

And then I’ll start on my important journey.”

A month ago I said the same thing,

But it wasn’t as easy for Mom to allow her heart to sing.

"Tomorrow,” I say, “I’ll make the change,”

And that keeps my goal just out of range.

My eyes have been darkened and I can’t see,

that I have given Satan my agency.

The only way I can break the ropes

That bind my soul and smoother my hopes;

Is to give All of my will to my Eternal Father,

And follow the Savior, my Redeeming Brother.

There is only one way to walk away from sin…

And today is the day that I must begin.

I must flee from every inch of Babylon,

And fly to the feet of God’s only Begotten Son.

The Lord in His mercy will then cleanse my heart,

And provide a way for me to do my part.

Isaiah 1:18-20

 18 Come now, and let us ^areason together, saith the Lord: though your ^bsins be as scarlet, they shall be as ^cwhite as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

 19 If ye be ^awilling and ^bobedient, ye shall eat the ^cgood of the land:

 20 But if ye refuse and ^arebel, ye shall be ^bdevoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

 (Pres. Boyd K. Packer;   May 2013 Ensign, page 8)

“Alma taught that “the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.”6 In order to understand this, we must separate the sin from the sinner.

For example, when they brought before the Savior a woman taken in adultery, obviously guilty, He dismissed the case with five words: “Go, and sin no more.”7 That is the spirit of His ministry.”

THE GIFT OF AGENCY

The gift of agency isn’t free;

In fact the price often brings me to my knees.

In Heaven it was purchased at such an enormous cost

That one third of the host of Heaven was lost.

And now as I battle on earthly sod

For this priceless gift of agency

I know it was purchased by the Son of God

Who died on the cross and chose to save me.

I know God wept for His Only Begotten Son,

But I believe he also wept for everyone

Who chose to nail Christ to a tree.

and refused to accept His gift of Eternal Glory.

God, who gave us the gift of agency

Daily cries; “Repent.  Come follow me.”

God’s work is to save my soul from sin.

but only if I choose to let him in.

Those who choose to do the Father’s will

Are sent to search every valley and hill

For every honest in heart to find

Who will choose to leave their Babylon behind.

Satan whispers little lies.

In truth he wraps them in a fancy disguise;

Then when I believe him he turns up the noise,

and makes it difficult to hear my Savior’s voice.

But if I listen carefully

I can hear God whisper through every

creation; every flower, every tree.

The biggest lie Satan whispers to me

Is, “Do what you want.  No one will see.”

Then with flaxen cords he binds my neck

and leads me on until my life is a wreck.

 When I’m floundering in a sinful sea

He leaves me while laughing with a hateful glee.

When my conscience is left to burn

Satan whispers, “You cannot return

To your Father who gave you the gift of choice.

You will never see Him or hear His voice.”

But from within I glimpse a small light

That tells me my thoughts aren’t quite right.

As I search and ponder and pray

The truth becomes as clear as day.

If I don’t repent of all my sins

I’ll get go pay the price again.

Which price for me, my Savior already bore

when He bled great drops of blood from every pore.

As I’ve pondered the gift of agency

I have learned it isn’t free.

Every choice I make; good or bad

will cause my soul to be happy or sad.

And so I will strive with all my might

to be worthy to live in my Savior’s light.