If the Shoe Fits

 

 

Don’t you dare lecture me

About what I am going through

Until you have walked that mile

In my pair of shoes.

 

Don’t you miniscule my trials

Accusing me of a lack of gumption

When you don’t have a clue

Re my underlying problem.

 

And even if you’ve been there

It still doesn’t give you the right

To ridicule me in my affliction

And blame me for my plight.

 

And, what If I am to blame

Must I become a punching bag

For all them that are better off

And have the rights to brag?

 

 

Often, we stand in judgment

Of another experiencing hardship

And all we offer is criticism

But assistance? Not a bit!

 

And sometimes if we do help

We do so with flaunted pride

Robbing that one of his dignity

And wishing he could hide.

 

The one thing he had remaining;

We take that away too,

Now bereft of pride and dignity

He is also without shoes.

 

Until you have walked that mile

In the “pair of shoes” I wear

Don’t you dare lecture to me

As a means to show you care.

It has even gotten worse

Now that I’ve no shoes to wear,

Try that for a “no shoes fit”

And prove to me you care.

 

I know I sound disgruntle

But your counsel is rather vain,

Don’t you dare lecture me,

Please wheel and come again!

 

Stewart Russell © July 22, 2022

 

I Asked for Patience

Running off at the mouth

Often losing my cool,

Regular thrown tantrums

Like an infant at school.

Consistently encumbered

With foot-in-mouth disease,

Afflicted and tormented

And experiencing no ease.

After all you know me

This is who I am,

If I do I die

And if I don’t I’m damned.

And it was so spontaneous

Just a little would fire me up,

Mash my corns at anytime

And bitterness was your cup.

But I asked for patience

And I got more of the same,

What I wanted to avoid

Came back again and again.

More people annoyed me

More aggravating situations

 Came from every angle,

I was nearing desperation.

Then I began to realize

This was what I asked for

Since asking for patience

Is getting what one abhors.

This was flooding therapy

An unorthodox solution

Of more of the same trials

To get me over my problem.

My problem of impatience

Was due to particular stimuli

And the solution for this my friend

Was an inordinate supply.

  

I thought it would be better

To remove the problem source

But God in His infinite wisdom

Allowed it in greater force.

But it appears to be working

Now I am being cured

Though sometimes it’s very tough

And I wish it were like before.

It was far easier then

My life was not as troublous

So if you ever ask for patience

Expect more trials on purpose.

Patience can only develop

Through the trials one must face,

Think twice before asking

Unless you really want that grace.

I have learnt my lesson well

That’s why I share it with you

Be content with your current trials,

They are easier to go through.

Stewart Russell © February 2019

A Prayer

 

Almighty God and our heavenly Father

Today we call on your matchless, glorious name

That name that means Saviour and Redeemer

We call to you in the midst of all of life’s pain

You said, in this life we will have tribulation

You said, there will be trials and temptations

That prediction certainly has been true

For there have been many trials not a few

But you also said you will never leave us

And you made this promise to us through Jesus

In whose name we pray to you today

Asking you to help our unbelief come what may

For there is many a tempest and a storm

That besets your children on every hand

They come from the east and from the west

And from the north and south as though on demand

They are like billows on the raging sea

Coming fast and furious to steal our joy

Climbing higher and higher in spite of our prayers

Tossing our life’s ship as though it were a toy

Satan, our nemesis, he gloats and he glare

And though you are with us he still dares

He dares to tell us that we are on our own

And far from being with us you have left us alone

Alone in this world with its demons of prey

Alone in this world through both night and day

He dares to tell us that we have believed a lie

That Jesus never came and Jesus never died

That Jesus never rose and he is not coming back

That there is no judgment and death ends life’s track

That right here is heaven and right here is hell

And there are some things the Bible just doesn’t tell

That life is what we make it right here and now

And that it is better for us if to him we bow

That he can satisfy us to our heart’s content

No need to confess sins, no need to repent

That what we see is truly what we get

And we can get anything on which our heart is set

That survival of the fittest is where life is at

And to the rat race we call life he can help us adapt

Heavenly Father in the midst of all these lies

We dare to doubt him and on you rely

We dare to trust you at your every word

And believe that what we see didn’t just occur

We dare to believe that you created all that we see

The oceans and rivers every mountain and valley

Every fish of the sea, the beasts great and small

Every plant, tree or shrub, you created them all

The lilies in the valleys you adorn and dress

And even to the tiny sparrow your care is expressed

For not one falls to the ground catching you unaware

And for your master creation the much more you care

We thank you for your goodness and your loving care

And for your renewed mercies with grace to spare

Thank you for the measure of faith you have given to us

So that when Satan taunts us in Jesus we can trust

Thank you for each day sometimes tough and hard

And nothing seems to line up with the plans on our card

Thank you for not being in the business of damage control

But that you have a divine plan for every sheep in your fold

Thank you that we can access that plan if to you we come

For such is the privilege of every child in the kingdom

Thank you for your righteousness not only to us imputed

But the impartation of the same also cannot be disputed

We thank you for pointing us the way of the cross

We thank you for the paying of sin’s infinite cost

We thank you that daily you are removing all of the dross

From sheep now found but once were lost

We thank you for the cleansing there is in Jesus’ blood

We thank you for transitioning us from being evil to good

We thank you for a walk in righteousness in Jesus’ name

Empowered by your Holy Spirit with heaven as our aim

We thank you for being bigger than our biggest problem

No matter how big or how many you can solve them

We thank you that we can cast all of life’s cares on you

Your word so instructs us and your word is true

Heavenly Father note in this prayer there was one request

Help our unbelief was how it was expressed

You see Father we are oft overwhelmed with much fuss

When all you ask of us is that in you we trust

So Father this prayer simply expresses a change in our attitude

As we lift our hearts to you in a prayer of gratitude

Thanking you for your abundant and magnanimous blessing

For you always abundantly exceed our thinking and asking

Today we offer up to you this prayer of thanksgiving

Cognizant that we who were once dead are now in you living

Fully aware that those things for which we often pray

Are prepackaged by you each and every single day

So Heavenly Father accept in Jesus’ name this our prayer

And help our unbelief when the tempter draws near

Remind us that he draws near but in us you reside

And as branches we will flourish once in the Vine we abide

Stewart Russell © 2016