Blessed Nevertheless

 

 

Too blessed to be stressed?

Nah, that would be a lie,

Given all we are going through

Stress cannot be denied.

 

With COVID on the rise

And spiraling out of control

A stressed-free experience

Is unlikely to unfold.

 

Pretending there’s no stress

Just invites more stress

And since acting is make-believe

This robs one of his best.

 

Stress is a constant companion

Wherever one goes

And any stressed-free claim

Has to be an idle boast.

 

With that being said, however,

I would like to advance

A far more realistic position

That can be easily enhanced.

 

 

Refrain from the cliché

Too blessed to be stressed

And say amidst life’s challenges

I am blessed nevertheless.

 

Blessed nevertheless

When I don’t get what I want,

Blessed nevertheless

When others mock and taunt.

 

Blessed nevertheless

When my day turn to night,

Blessed nevertheless

When nothing seems to go right.

 

Blessed nevertheless

Whether it’s a rainy or sunshine day,

Blessed nevertheless

Though nothing is going my way.

 

Blessed nevertheless

Though sailing on choppy seas,

And when my sail catches not a wind,

Not even the slightest breeze. 

 

Not too blessed to be stressed

But blessed nevertheless,

For the former is a lie

But the latter helps me rest.

 

I don’t have to be a pretender

But I can be myself,

And in any case, living a lie

Is not good for spiritual health.

 

Stewart Russell © August 18, 2021

 

Lies Ahead or Lies Ahead

 

 

What lies ahead?

We cannot and do not know,

The future is in the Master’s hand

And He has ordered it so.

 

God’s Word reveals the truth

We need to know in our time,

The time allotted to every human

As reflected in the daily grind.

 

We do not know what lies ahead

Except for what’s revealed,

Revealed through the Holy Word

To them that dare believe.

 

Some dare to make-believe

They know what lies ahead

But they that be alive know no more

Than they that be right now dead.

 

None knows what lies ahead:

Not a single woman or man!

But God does, His Word assures us

And accordingly, he planned.

 

 

What lies are ahead

Is distinctively different,

Compared to what we started with,

This has a dishonest bent.

 

The first case spoke to facts

That to us are yet unknown,

The latter speaks to stark untruths

That are not yet in our zone.

 

 

Predictions of every sort,

Even prophecies in the church,

Lies present, past and future

Told by lying experts.

 

Lies ahead as in the verb

Versus lies ahead as in the noun,

Regarding the latter I am confused;

I guess you could call me clown.

 

Lies ahead as in the future

Lies ahead as being fake,

The former looms unpredictably

Both are too much to take.

 

What lies ahead is fateful

And what lies are ahead are too,

Both seem to be inextricably linked

At least to me, if not you.

 

Stewart Russell © February 20, 2023

 

Living on Broadway

 

 

 

Hollywood didn’t just start

It’s been around a while,

In Matthew chapter 7 verse 13

You will find this file.

 

Enter in at the strait gate

For broad is the way,

And just like way back in those times

We have Broadway today.

 

No mixing up of the two

Let us be very clear:

Hollywood and the holy walk

Should not be compared.

 

Contrast is more appropriate,

It’s not a comparison,

Broad and narrow as you know

Are definitely antonyms.

 

For those who have forgotten

And those who never knew,

Antonyms mean opposites

As in the case of false and true.

 

Hollywood is make-believe,

Though in many ways it is true

Given its many actors and actresses

That mimic me and you.

 

 

“All the world’s a stage”

You’d recall the words of Shakespeare,

Hollywood or Broadway

Call it what you may!

 

Some will watch a movie

And behave as though it is true,

Unable to extricate themselves,

It will become their view.

 

For entertainment, Yes!

For enlightenment, No!

Do separate the real from the unreal!

By now we ought to know.

 

Distinguish between the ways

And choose the narrow way,

One of them leads to destruction

The other is the heavenly way.

 

The broad-way, the Bible shows,

Is just like a horror movie,

However, it is not fictional

But it is as real as real can be!

 

 

Enter in at the strait gate!

Broadway is make-believe,

It will promise you a whole lot

But little you will receive.

 

Are you living on Broadway?

It’s time for a reality check!

An eternal hangover is promised

After your Broadway fete!

 

Pardon me, my friend,

If I am not politically correct,

It’s better you know here and now

Than be a heavenly reject.

 

Stewart Russell © February 10, 2022