Two Mirror Images

 

 

Here are two realities

I want to suggest,

Cognizant there’re probably more

But at two I will rest.

 

Two mirror images:

The actual and the felt

And personally, with both

I have dealt.

 

The actual is physical;

It is what you see,

The felt is what you wish for;

What you’d like to be.

 

 

 

They are both real

But one is in the mind,

The one that is to be developed

Over time.

 

A work in progress

But not cosmetically so

Like the beauty care painted on

To make faces glow.

 

Oh no, this is deeper;

It is who we really are

And oft will still shine through

If the physical is marred.

 

The Bible speaks of one

In the epistle of James,

Located at James 1:24 to be exact:

Go there to see its claim.

 

 

For he beholds himself,

And goes his way,

And straightway forgets

What manner of man he was.

 

The mirror to be used

Is the mirror of God’s Word,

It is the perfect law of liberty

To which James referred.

 

 

 

So, two mirror images:

The physical and spiritual

And compared to one another

The physical is minimal.

 

We set much more store

By that which is physical

But while the spiritual is at the core

The physical is superficial.

 

 

 

It is very unfortunate

That looks hold more sway

But expect what is truly within

To shine through one day.

 

If then it is positive

That will be great

But if then it is otherwise

That one will be fake.

 

 

 

So, let’s be sober-minded

When we look in the mirror

And let the true reflection therein

Drive purest endeavor.

 

Stewart Russell © January 23, 2025

 

Thinking of A Word

 

 

I am thinking of a word

Without it there is no church

It is associated with people

And it never ever hurts.

 

In our disagreements

It sometimes takes a knocking,

But if it is kept in focus

There will only be a rocking.

 

It means members together

Standing firm and strong,

And it is a clear indication

When we are getting along.

 

Seventeen times you will find it

On the pages of Holy Writ,

Fifteen in the New Testament

Go there and check it!

 

Sorry, I know you don’t know

The word I am thinking about

But the very next verse

Will give you reason to shout.

 

We share it with our fellow saints

The children of the kingdom

And also with the Father

And with Jesus Christ, His Son.

 

That should be a big clue

Though not a walk in the park

But as we walk in the light

We have it from the start.

 

It has a lot in common

With the concept of unity

And two cannot walk together

Except they both agree.

 

There are mutual benefits

Whenever we come together

And when that thing is strengthened

Our relationships get better. 

 

O that this phenomenon

Would be evident when we meet

And when we part asunder

It would still be very sweet.

 

It occurs when we are together

But continues when we are apart,

Its evidence can be very physical

But it lives right in our heart.

 

We sometimes use the right hand

As a meaningful gesture

In a vice like grip at times

But I hope you get the picture.

 

I will not tell you the word

But I will tell you of its location,

You will find it in a well-loved hymn

Enjoy the exploration.

 

In the very first line

And it is word Number two,

You will definitely find it there

This is another big clue.

 

Or, friendship with Jesus

And now for sure you have it,

If you have reached this far

You have a very good spirit.

 

In case you are still puzzled

Lean on the everlasting arms

And friendship with Jesus

Will take care of all alarms.

May the grace of our Lord

And Saviour, Jesus Christ,

The love of God and the koinonia of the Holy Spirit,

Be with us all, now and forevermore

Amen

 

Stewart Russell © October 2019

 

Amidst Our Mist

 

 

In the midst of our mist

When our vision is unclear

We are prone to act erratically,

Mostly out of fear.

 

Oft there are events

We can do nothing about

Like some happening in our past

That left us in doubt.

 

In the midst of our mist

When we battle the world

We attack both friend and foe,

We’re so disturbed.

 

We level accusations

As we hit out left and right,

Not even sure of the enemy

For the lack of light.

 

 

In the midst of our mist

When our nemesis is self,

We often blame everybody else

For our failing health.

 

Both spiritual and social,

For our mental and emotional,

Visibly shown in our expression

And in our physical.

 

In the midst of our mist

Like righteous Job of old

Who once was radiating warmth

Gradually becoming cold.

 

Throwing a pity party

For all who would attend

And engaging the eager reporters

From beginning to end.

 

In the midst of our mist

When friends become few

And not many are the persons

We thought we knew.

 

People who are hurting,

That is the “we” I mean,

When in the midst of our mist

Nothing is clearly seen.

 

Like some wounded animal

We are ready to lash out

And our once affirming tongue

Becomes a negative spout.

 

Quick to spread rumour

In the midst of our mist

And those with whom it is shared

Comprising a long list.

 

In the midst of our mist

Often empathy departs

And the twins, jealousy and envy

Occupy our hearts.

 

We share others’ sorrows

But their joys hurt us more

And invariably, as is our custom,

Grudge comes to the fore.

 

Our criticism is rife

Of another’s achievement

And we question its authenticity

With much resentment.

 

 

In the midst of our mist

When we are not seeing well

We need an understanding friend

That we can tell.

 

Someone who’s been there

And can identify with us

And who will help us to see clearer

In the midst of our fuss.

 

Someone who will absorb

The shock of our story

And not share it with another

For posterity.

 

Someone who appreciates

His time will come too

And what he does for someone

For him another will do.

 

And I don’t mean Jesus

Though he is our best friend,

I mean that someone he will use

To get us round the bend.

 

For Jesus uses people

In the midst of our mist

Who will come not to cast blame

But to assist.

 

There go I

But for the grace of God,

Let him that thinks he stands

Take heed lest he fall.

 

Stewart Russell © June 4, 2024

 

Consider This

 

 

 Consider this if you will

Not all Jews are Jews,

This sounds particularly contradictory

Now listen for the news.

 

For they are not all Israel

Which are of Israel

How should we take this:

Physical, natural or spiritual?

 

The truth of the matter is

All three are involved,

If we look carefully at the transition

This matter can be resolved.

 

Jesus once said to the Jews

You are of your father, the devil

And if he were not who he was

It would have been to his peril.

 

The Jews had challenged him

Regarding their father, Abraham

But Jesus seemed to be saying

You do not know the plan.

 

Being natural has no rights

To that which belongs to the spiritual,

From the old covenant to the new

The spiritual regulates the natural.

 

This will probably be hard

For any naturalized Israelite Jew,

He sees himself as the chosen

And he must have his due.

 

His due to a promised land

As a son of Abraham,

How dare Jesus come and change

What was the original plan!

 

We see a little bit at a time,

That is but a tiny dot

But all too often it swells in our eyes

And our dot becomes the lot.

 

 

A single piece of the puzzle

Becomes the whole puzzle

And such was the case with the Jews

As it related to Israel.

 

God has a glorious plan

It proceeds from the natural to the spiritual,

From Eden’s creation to a new creation

From the old Israel to the new Israel.

 

No longer the middle wall of partition

No longer the gentile and the Jew,

Where once these were separate

They are now one not two.

 

Only one way to the kingdom

That is through Jesus Christ the Lord,

Only one way to salvation

That is by believing on his word.

 

Consider this, I urge one and all

It is not a replacement theology,

It is the working out of God’s glorious plan

Upon which hangs our destiny.

 

Stewart Russell © November 2019