Poems and Books

I saw the woman in the chair; she was in church again today.

Someone said they’ve sold their house; they’re going to move away.

No! I cried, they cannot go; they cannot move away.

I didn’t get to know her; there’s something I need to say:

Please tell me your secret; I want to sit at your feet,

I need to know how you handle the pain that is your daily meat,

How do you keep on smiling when each day your health gets worse?

How do you keep depending on God when you’re living with a curse?

Every time I see her, her smile comes from deep within.

I know her fellowship with God isn’t scarred by the chair she’s in.

She admits her health is failing; she knows she’s fading away.

How can she remain so calm when I’m running away?

My friend, can you tell me how you can trust the Lord

How can you stay so gentle and sweet when He seems to wield a sword?

You are to me a promise even in the midst of pain

God is near and faithful if I will turn to him again.

Liz Hupp

When I heard the former poem, it became my prayer. But then this afternoon, Dr. H took my daughter to the park, so I played the piano for a while. I didn’t get through one song until my fingers became super tired. What was going on? My fingers might be out of shape, but when they are tired, I lose feeling and function. I grew frustrated, as my nap that day hadn’t gone well. So I wrote this next poem.

I am the woman in the chair; I go to church every week.

We’ve just moved again, so I’m new, but let me speak:

It’s true I lean on God for everything, and I’m strong because of Him.

I try to get involved, try and find friends in the community within.

But sometimes I want to cry, just cry.

“It’s not fair!” I yell. “Why me, Lord? Why?”

Why is my illness progressing? Why am I losing function?

Why am I the woman in the chair, the one receiving so many assumptions?

Why do I deal with chronic fatigue, amongst so much more?

It ruins my day, my motherhood, and even my simple chores.

But then His calming presence softly wraps around me.

“I’m still here,” He says. “It’s okay. Just be.”

I sigh as I let it all go. “It’s so hard,” I whisper into His shoulder.

I feel His embrace, and it somehow makes me boulder.

“How did you do it?” I ask. “When You walked the earth?”

“By leaning into My Father,” came the reply. “He’ll show you your worth.”

My eyes were suddenly opened to scripture, as I recalled His promises.

I am salt and light, adopted, and redeemed. I am justified, and I am His.

It doesn’t matter what comes next, because He always will be.

Things might be hard, but my God, He lives in me.

So I can be strong and praise Jesus with my everything.

It’s Him I trust, for health and for life. He is my King.

Anna E Meyer

I have heard people come up to me and tell me what an inspiration I am. I shrug, because I just do what I do, and I make do with what I have. But if someone is encouraged because I keep moving forward? Praise Jesus. Paul said, in Philippians 1, “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” I hope I can show Christ in my life. I know that one day I will walk and run again. I remember telling my two year old that same thing, so she stopped and prayed right then and there it would happen soon. My life is hard, but Jesus’ life was harder. So many of the early apostles were tortured and killed, all to the advancement of the church. Everyone knew about it and praised God that they were honored to share in Christ’s suffering. It’s hard to see it that way nowadays. Dr.H is reading a book and discussing it with me. “When Jesus Weeps: Why Our Sufferings Matter to the Almighty,” by Joni Eareckson Tada and Steven Estes (where I found the first poem). We are not but a third of the way through it, but boy, is it good. After playing a little piano this afternoon, I felt depressed and defeated. But the Lord speaks to me through my writing.

I’m the lady in the chair, and I think I’ve cooled down.

I’m a child of the Most High, so I’ll just adjust my crown.

I read scripture every night as I go to bed.

His Word is comforting, as I lay my head.

I write to my Lord and sing His praises every day.

I now understand that He’s the potter; I’m the clay.

Stealing lyrics, I’ll sing: Take my life and form it,

Take my mind, transform it. Take my will, and conform it

To Yours, to Yours, oh Lord.

I’ll stand with You and drawn sword.

 I don’t understand why I’ve got this disease,

But You work through Your children as You please.

Because of my life You’ve reached another,

And I don’t need to know reason any other.

Christ suffered while on earth, as well.

You understand and comfort as You tell

Of all the good things waiting for us in paradise.

You’ve made us Yours, You’ve paid the price.

All I can do is praise you today.

All I can write is how I love you always!

Anna E. Meyer

An hour or two after I wrote the first poem, I sat down to write the one above. I can be angry, and then the Lord swoops in somehow and makes me feel better. By reading scripture. Hearing a song, where the words just speak that day. More writing.  There are a lot of things that I, a mere human, don’t understand. My dad always said, “Ask God when you get to heaven.” My daughter, now 5, stops and prays right there that she can find out BEFORE she gets to heaven.

I do not even know how to end this blog post. Maybe I will start writing more. Whichever the case, be blessed, my friends!

Anna

Poem: TRUST (it’s a must) :)

He looked down upon her, and shook his head.

How could she not see the joy her actions had led?

How could she be frustrated, with all the joy up here?

The angel then realized that she hadn’t attuned the correct ear.

How could she be frustrated that she was not making a profit on earth,

If all of her actions led to things of eternal worth?

The angel descended and spoke through a friend.

All she needed was encouragement to defend.

The Enemy would not get his girl today,

With all the others fighting for her to keep the enemy at bay!

The girl picked up her armor which had fallen out of her hand.

She then saw what was happening, and against the devil she took a stand.

“I am okay if I don’t meet my goals,” she proclaimed.

“I have made progress, and it is by God I am claimed!

“I have been working and trying, and that was the goal.

“I can’t beat myself up because of what I can’t control!”

The angel above her smiled to the skies.

She had finally cleared her head of all the worthless lies.

“I am good enough, and I am doing this right!”

The girl shook a fist as she started to write.

“Why am I looking for my worth in money?

“As if I don’t know God? That’s funny.

“But I am his child, and he calls me a masterpiece.

“One day I will see and know how it fits, this piece.”

The girl down on Earth shook her head.

She was doing all she could in her stead.

She couldn’t control what other people did;

That was on them and herself she kid.

Only God could do something where she could not.

She should be speaking with him instead of feeling distraught!

//

The author of this poem looks through the words and into your eyes.

Are you, too, guilty of believing these lies?

Are you distressed by something you cannot control?

As if, on your own, you can change the public opinion poll?

Here is the solution, for all your troubles (it’s broad):

TRUST IN GOD.

You have to make a decision before you solve a problem.

If the decision is to trust God, it’s awesome.

Then it doesn’t matter what the solution may be;

It’ll work out later because you trusted in He.

These are the things I’ve been learning lately.

And I, the girl of the poem, have been moved by this greatly!

I try and try and try, but without God, my attempts are futile.

Pretty soon, all this work and self-reliance is brutal.

So trust in God, I shout it to the skies.

I hear it come back to me, my pleading cries.

Because I’m the one who needs to hear it.

And that is why for myself, this poem, I’ve writ.

//

Anna E Meyer

Poem: GOD Brings Success

Goals and expectations, I set them.

When they pop into my head, I take hold.

I try my best to meet each one,

Forgetting who really controls.

When I fail to meet my mark—

The one that I decided and I set—

Feeling like a failure, I cry.

But I am my biggest threat.

Why do I try these things myself?

As if, by doing more and more, I win?

I surrendered these things yesterday,

But today, I’ve lost before I begin.

“Those who don’t do can’t succeed,”

I hear it over and over again.

But all this focus on “me”?

It causes struggle now and then.

I can’t do anything on my own.

I know this to be true!

Which is why I need God’s help;

And he ALWAYS comes through!

We aren’t supposed to live the Christian life ourselves;

It’s only possible with Christ in us.

So why should I succeed myself?

This is what we need to discuss.

“May I never boast except in the cross,”

The Galatians are told by Paul.

We could never save ourselves,

Nevertheless with success, which makes us fall!

But when I give it back to God?

I let him do his work through me?

Then I am not the one glorified.

It is CHRIST, do you agree?

So may I fail when I try myself,

Because it shows my weakness.

But in my weakness, Christ is made strong.

And in HIS strength, we’ll joyfully confess:

To HIM be the glory forever and ever,

Amen!

Poem: Marriage is Sandpaper

Today marks the day that I have been married two months.  Two months is such a short little time, but I wanted to share that Dr. Wile E. Coyote and I have already been growing tons.  We are two individual people, with two personalities, two sets of habits and ways to do things.  But marriage is sandpaper.  That, I’ve already experienced.  The sanding and refining has just been started, and I know that there is a journey ahead of us, as there is in any marriage.  But I rejoice because this sanding has been bringing us closer to Jesus– and I think that may be what’s supposed to happen.  Enjoy the poem.

 

Anna

 

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

 

I have been married so short a time,

But one thing I found right away:

Marriage is sandpaper.

 

 

Marriage is sandpaper.

It has a way of showing you sin,

Sin that has been hidden in your life

Longer than you realized.

 

Marriage is sandpaper.

It will show you the faults of your spouse

But be slow to judge—

Get that plank out of your own eye first.

 

Marriage is sandpaper.

It refines you to look more like Jesus.

Something that all Christians

Should strive for.

 

Marriage is sandpaper.

It prepares a project

For its finishing touches—

The marriage feast of the Lamb.

 

And if marriage is sandpaper,

What a perfect bridegroom Christ is,

Even before marriage to you.

Because he loves you.

 

Marriage is sandpaper.

But if it were not,

There’d be no way two individuals

Could make it work.

 

I am so glad

Marriage is sandpaper.

While it can grate harshly at times,

You and your spouse will shine.

 

Let your light shine in your marriage,

In your church,

And in the world.

Because marriage is sandpaper.

 

“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.” Revelation 19:7

 

In what ways has marriage been like sandpaper in your life?  How have you grown with your spouse over time? 

Depression, MS, and Wit in a Poem

It tiptoes into peripheral sight,
And stays to take away the light.  
The darkness makes its home there;
Until you realize you were unaware.  

But I didn’t notice this until
I found myself climbing up the hill!
The flat and happy ground was green,
But this hill is dry and brown and mean.

Depression sneaks up to the unsuspecting;
It makes one think they are the one rejecting.  

It causes feelings that don’t belong,
It places monotone where there once was song.
This hemeola of emotions, this fighting of sorts
Leads to modulation that’s unwelcome, of course!

One day I’ll be down, and the next snap out of it.
It’s like this other unpredictable disease a bit.  
Depression is a symptom of MS, as well.  
Which is just my luck– but I won’t dwell!  

If it gets bad enough I’ll go see my doc.
But coming out myself wouldn’t be a shock.
Just like everything else I’ve been given,
I’m too busy to notice it–I’m livin’!  

So before you go and hand me your pity,
Allow me to give you an answer that’s wity:
I may not be from Mississippi, have a master’s degree or be a medical specialist,
But I AM Mega Smart, Mighty Sarcastic, and Marvelously Sweet.  
Just ask my sister mom husband. (We still qualify as “newlyweds.”) 

“A Blessing in the Dust”

A Blessing in the Dust
From Jan Richardson’s Painted Prayer Book

You thought the blessing
would come
in the staying.
In casting your lot
with this place,
these people.
In learning the art
of remaining,
of abiding.

And now you stand
on the threshold
again.
The home you had
hoped for,
had ached for,
is behind you-
not yours, after all.

The clarity comes
as small comfort,
perhaps,
but it comes:
illumination enough
for the next step.

As you go,
may you feel
the full weight
of your gifts
gathered up
in your two hands,
the complete measure
of their grace
in your heart that knows
there is a place
for them,
for the treasure
that you bear.

I promise you
there is a blessing
in the leaving,
in the dust shed
from your shoes
as you walk toward home-
not the one you left
but the one that waits ahead,
the one that already
reaches out for you
in welcome, in gladness
for the gifts
that none but you
could bring.

 

My cousin Katrina shared this on her blog, thinking about the friends who became family over the last year.  This spoke to me, especially, because of the move Dr. Wile E. Coyote and I will be making to Kentucky to begin our lives together after we are married.  I have always had the opinion that the people you are with make the places you go special. I love the flat prairies of home, while even a trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota can wear me out.  Who knows what living in the mountains of Kentucky will be like.  There are blessings in the dust– in the little things, wherever you go and wherever you leave.  This path where life has taken me is great, and I am so excited to see what comes next.  Oh, the places we’ll go!

I won’t say too much, because too many thoughts and emotions come to my head to write about decently.  I see blessings everywhere.  In the coming, in the going….even when you wanted to leave but you stay (last summer) or you wanted to stay and you leave.  In the smiles that greet you different places you go, in the familiar or new things you experience.  It’s just great.

 

Blissfully,

Anna

Dogs and Men

A Look At a Dog

Dogs smell funny. They have bad breath and gas, too.

Dogs can be picky, but still eat many things, and when they do,

they might get sick. And then we, the humans, must clean it up.

We must feed the dog and give him water in a bowl, not a cup.

I tried that once (and it’s not the best idea ever).

Dogs sleep in random places, and are easy to trick (because we’re more cleaver).

Dogs want to play all the time; they like fetch and tug-of-war.

But we humans set the rules. We decide to let them out the door

or trick them into going outside before we shut it quick.

Dogs are not smart enough for my trick.

Sometimes, they’ll just cuddle and be calm.

But that will soon end, because it never lasts long.

There is dog hair everywhere because they SHED.

Even if they live outside, their hair will end up in your bed.

All in all, I kind of like dogs. They’re not so bad.

They are better than many other living things, so I’m glad.

 

A Look at a Man

Men smell funny. They have bad breath and gas, too.

Men can be picky, but they still eat many things, and when they do,

they might get sick. Because they never know when to quit.

It’s up to us, the women, to help them stay fit.

I tried that once (and it’s not the best idea ever).

Men sleep in random places, and are easy to trick (because we’re more cleaver).

Men want to play and not just talk; they like catch and wrestling on the floor.

But we women set the rules. We decide to kick them out the door

or trick them into doing dishes for us quick.

But men are too caring to see through my trick.

Sometimes, they’ll just cuddle and be calm.

But that will soon end, because it never lasts long.

There is hair everywhere because both of us SHED.

And then you get married, they end up in your bed.

All in all, I kind of like men. They’re not so bad.

They are better than many other living things, so I’m glad.

 

The Olson Family Dog, Pongo

A Note About my Comparisons

Once, I hung out with my dog, but I was missing my long-distance hunny.

So Dr. Wile E. Coyote said that he sent the dog in his place (funny).

I mentioned how annoying the dog was, but he just shrugged.

And I began to see what he was talking about, so the dog was hugged.

It’s not that Dr. WEC is a dog or anything like that,

But I see the dog more often, and he’s not a cat.

And because the Doc is such a dog person, I guess I’ll hear his say;

Especially ‘cuz we’ll probably end up getting a dog one day.

What happens when you write on a “Jesus High.”

I wrote this “poem” of sorts on Monday, when I was waiting for a friend to have a fabulous after-summer-catch-up.  Lifelight was this weekend, and it was so great!  I saw God moving, and church was awesome, too.  Goodness.  Yay God!

 

So much going on in my head.

So much to process, so much said.

I am amazed at the answers received of prayer.

So many issues God takes out of my hair.

I’ve been realizing the extent of why I’m me—

Why I write, and why I’m encouraging.

It all comes from God – these things I love.

They are used for him—he from above.

Before it happened, Jesus thanked God for the miracle.

Thanking God after is easy – it’s lyrical.

But what if we had faith to expect?

What if pre-praise became a prayer subject?

Isn’t praising God something we do, anyway?

Why the heck do we reserve it for occasions, not every day?

I thank God for things he’ll do that are of him,

Wanting and expecting his will isn’t a sin.

That I’ll have a job?  That friends and family will be saved?

He wants that, too – salvation is his fave.

What about the people I interacted with at Lifelight?

Some of them aren’t sure about God, but lots of ‘em with him are tight.

Nothing happens without reason, this I know.

Everything in life somehow helps us grow.

I’ve been learning a lot about praise.

I’ve also been seeing God continually amaze.

I want to see a dramatic miracle first-hand.

But everything’s a miracle so grand.

The fact that God works things for good when only bad they seem?

The fact that we’ll receive salvation because he redeemed?

We are so not deserving of anything but to die.

I must confess that these last few days, I’ve been on a “Jesus high.”

 

Anna

 

A Poem on Being Still

It’s easier to hide behind a pen

Than saying things out loud.

It’s easier to detangle thoughts through my fingers

Than to quietly

think.

 ~

BE STILL!

I hear the voice.

But how?

I journal and pray there daily.

BE STILL!

I hear proclaimed again.

“How am I supposed to do that?”

I reply.

~

I set down my pen.

And I think.

So many decisions,

but I can’t hear anything.

Be still.

It is suggested that I fast

by someone who’s opinion I trust.

And so I didn’t write.

For four days.

~

Writing is how I think.

It’s how I communicate.

~

Four days?

 But it’s possible.

Anything is.

Anything is possible when God’s there.

And though I didn’t hear

The answer I was looking for,

I heard

something

else.

~

I didn’t think I did,

Until I processed in my journal after.

Then I was sure.

Is that cheating?

Probably not.

 ~

Sometimes, we must be still

to see what’s going on around us or

inside ourselves.

~

God is there, waiting for us to listen.

What is listening?

How do we do it?

Everyone’s God language is different,

So I can’t tell you.

I’m not sure I can tell you mine,

though I know I’ve heard him many times.

~

Be still.

How?

Just…

be

still.

 

God’s Way

We are God’s, and he will have his way.

No matter if we’re listening, it’ll pass one day

Even if we make wrong decisions or screw up a bunch,

It’s all in God’s will, he’ll use it, I know this much.

So if you’re deciding something important, the pressure is off.

He will teach you and guide you, so don’t write it off.

When in doubt, take it to the Lord in prayer.

But then, do I really want to go there?

I pray about something, but I’m afraid of God’s answer.

What if it’s no? Is that a tear-enhancer?

Being okay with God’s answers on our own?

We don’t have the strength, not while alone.

“God, have your way, and help me to accept,

Whatever you say, ‘cuz then I’ll be fine, except,

I need you every day, I’m not real good just me.

Convict me of it, and with me always be.”

“Be still,” a voice says in my head.

“The Lord will fight for you, his Word even said.”

“I remember,” I say back to the voice.

I open the Word again and rejoice.

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

I flip the pages with an excited nod.

“Don’t worry about tomorrow, I got this.”

(The paraphrasing reader in my head is dismissed.)

I smile to myself as I close the Bible gently.

Why should I even doubt? He’s totally got me.

Taking things to him and letting him take them,

It’s a real pressure release, ahem?

I know I don’t always listen to what I say,

But I’m happy to know God uses it anyway.

Sometimes I write things to preach it to me.

He uses these and then is like, “See?”

 

Verses referenced: Exodus 14:14, Psalm 46:10, Matthew 6:24