Worrying

 

 

I am not a worrier

But I worry,

If it doesn’t make sense

It’s an absurdity.

 

This must be one

If you see what I mean,

A worry-less worrier

Is what I deem.

 

A clear contradiction

Is what I see,

It’s either an oxymoron

Or an absurdity.

 

 

It is watertight

But yet it is leaking,

Like someone who is dumb

But yet speaking.

 

Sleepless nights

But I do not worry,

It’s constantly on my mind

But not what I study.

 

Worry brings stress

But I am not stressed

And though I often worry

Stress is not my test.

 

Not making sense?

Well, I do agree,

But Christians say this

Like you and me.

 

 

We are so blessed

We can’t be stressed,

And we are too appointed

To be disappointed.

 

Sounds really good

But is this really true?

Certainly not for me;

How about you?

 

I worry much

But I talk to myself:

Both asking and answering

Is good for my health.

 

When I am afraid

I trust in God

And when I am worried

He’s my all in all.

 

We all worry

At one time or another,

Don’t play let’s pretend,

For that’s a bother.

 

 

But let’s be honest

And deal with worry,

Let us admit it, confess it,

Don’t lag, hurry!

 

Stewart Russell © August 31, 2024

 

A Feeding Trough

 

 

Just a feeding trough,

Nothing glamourous

And in my immediate environ

The smell is obnoxious.

 

I attract animals

Only by what’s in me

And if you said their feed,

I’d say exactly.

 

You could well imagine

My great surprise

When I was the one chosen

To hold a child.

 

A special child

I soon came to find out,

As the Saviour of the world

I had no doubt.

 

 

I felt humbled,

As I was only a manger

And they selected lowly me

To bear the Saviour.

 

 

Crudely fashioned

Just like that cruel cross

That he would be crucified on

To pay sin’s cost.

 

Sin’s wages, his death,

Man’s redemption

Through Jesus’ death, burial

And resurrection.

 

 

And I, his birth,

The cross, his death,

Both of us playing a part

In God’s rest.

 

A rest for all

That trust in God

For their eternal salvation

After Adam’s fall.

 

 

I was transformed

Just like the cross

And elevated to much more

Than a feeding trough.

 

Most had their day

And so did I

On that first Christmas Day

When God drew nigh.

 

Stewart Russell © December 11, 2024

 

How to Win an Election

 

 

 

Here are my suggestions

Not in any order

But a campaigning journey

Along political corridors.

 

Now don’t get me wrong,

I’ve never campaigned

But based on outcomes I’ve seen

Here is the little I’ve gained.

 

Differentiate between

Illiterate and electorate,

They are not one and the same;

Please, no need to debate.

 

The electorate are eligible,

The illiterate too

But the former sees the vision

And the latter has a view.

 

Dwell not on the last verse

If it’s over your head,

Most things baffle me nowadays

Hence, I am on alert “red”.

 

Red flags go up daily,

Matters not who’s in charge

And a lot of political leaders

Are criminals at large.

 

Forget the previous verse

If it rubs you the hard way,

Let’s get back to the poem’s title

And let this hold sway.

 

Highlight the past record:

Successes and failures,

It is far better to be transparent

And show the full picture.

 

To vilify your opponent

Is to vilify yourself,

It is very likely that if you win

You will adopt his health.

 

It has happened before

And more often than not

That the one doing the vilifying

Ended up doing more rot.

 

Be honest, if possible,

In the things you promise,

It is better to say what can be done

Than an unrealistic list.

 

Focus on the real needs

And not on your opponent

And if you form the Government,

Genuinely repent.

 

Saying sorry is hard

Especially if you mean it

But today’s leaders are so perfect

Sorry is not their habit.

 

Genuinely trust in God

And show that you truly do,

And not merely as a convenience

But that He shapes your view.

 

“To God be the glory

Great things He has done!”

The words of the current PM

When in 2018 she won.

 

I trust she remembers

Though I have my doubts

But one thing is very clear to me,

One day she’ll be out.

 

The “how”, I do not know,

But nothing lasts forever

Hence, why the Holy Bible cautions

Be wary of earthly treasure.

 

Earthly treasure is sandy

And will easily wash away

So, build on the rock, Christ Jesus

Each and every day.

 

Let your good speak

Louder than your words,

I will remember what you did

Above what I have heard.

 

When you’ve done all this

Let the people decide

And if you lose, lose graciously

And by the result abide.

 

The best election “win”

Is when the country wins

But regarding this kind of result,

Our vision is fairly dim.

 

Short-sighted by selfishness

Is not worthy to lead,

A servant-leader, if you please,

Is what we really need.

 

Stewart Russell © October 28, 2024

 

Except the Days be Shortened

 

 

What does this really mean?

I am not even sure I know,

I know what I have been taught

But that was long ago.

 

A time to come in the future

That is the belief of some:

That this refers to a time to come

Before the return of God’s Son.

 

Others believe it has passed

Way back in New Testament times

And I dare say many today

Are with this view inclined.

 

Whether the former or latter

I am not here concerned

But rather, the fleeting of time

My attention to this is turned.

 

Is 24 hours still a day?

Or has one or two been removed?

The days are flying so fast

It’s difficult to stay in groove.

 

Like a train being derailed

And skidding off the track

And carrying with it its many cars

For yards and yards going back.

 

We just celebrated Christmas

No, not this one, the one before,

And before we could settle down

We have celebrated one more.

 

Christmas comes but once a year

Use to be a popular rhyme

But maybe, it is has become twice

Given the passage of time.

 

 

Another year is almost ended

With just five hours to go,

And no doubt last year this time

Many were saying so.

 

Whether the days are shortened

I cannot really tell

But what I know for a certain fact

Things are happening pell-mell.

 

With undue hurry and confusion

I can scarcely keep apace

But this one thing I intend to do

Is to focus on the Saviour’s face.

 

To trust him in spite of outcomes

Or however precarious the times

And to know with full assurance

I am his and he is mine.

 

 

Join me as we traverse 2022

Keeping our trust in God

While standing firm and resolute

Regardless of who may fall.

 

A Blessed New Year to all!

 

Stewart Russell © December 31, 2021

 

Trust

What is this thing called trust

A believer is told to adopt?

Is it really that important

Is the question I want to pop.

Little children are very hard ears

Adults would have us understand

But when it comes to trust

They beat adults on every hand.

They don’t worry about tomorrow

Like adults daily do,

They put their trust in these adults

Who worry like me and like you.

We pray and pray and pray again

About the same things o’er and o’er,

“Where is the trust?” I ask myself

When we feel we must pray some more.

“We put matters in God’s hands,” we say

And then take them out again

As though we do not trust Him all the way

To deal with whatever brings us pain.

A case in point is something we need

That we take to God in prayer,

We wrap it up in splendid words

Convinced that God will always hear.

We pray it in the morning when we wake

And at the end of day when we sleep,

All through the day we whisper it

And every chance we get we repeat.

Where is the trust in all of this?

Again where is the faith and trust?

If God be the God of miracles

Why do we continue to fuss?

Could it be He doesn’t hear?

Could it be we are too far away?

Could it be that He is not quite as near

As our detractors often say?

  

Could it be we’ve not been as good

As believers ought to be

Or, might it be God just wants to hear us

As some preach persuasively?

These are the myriads of questions

Which confront us when we pray,

Yet God merely requests of us

Our trust every step of the way.

“Except ye become as a little child,”

He repeatedly says to us,

Prayer no matter how long or oft repeated

Is of little value without trust.

Pray until something happens

Has become particularly puzzling to me

For if a child had done this to a parent

It would be reprimanded severely.

Yet we petition God over and over

On a matter that’s important to us

And then pretend to all the world

That ours is a demonstration of trust.

We must convince God we need it

Hence we must pray for it a lot,

What does trust really have to do with it?

Apparently not a single tittle or jot.

Trust is the confident expectation

That God will do what’s best by us,

His glory is foremost in the exchange

As often expressed by His Son, Jesus.

Our good is always on His heart

But it’s connected to a greater plan,

And this we often cannot see

Because of our selfish demand.

Our myopic view is as a result of self,

Self is the shortsightedness crave

But a view in the distant depends on trust

That orders the way we behave.

When the outcome is not what we prayed for

Trust will invigorate our walk

And thanksgiving to God our Saviour

Will continue to adorn our talk.

For God sees around each bend

And beyond the shadows of our thoughts

And if only we could see all that He sees

We would never be distraught.

For precisely what He does we would do

And what He allows we would allow

And trust for us would be the flavour

That affects the way we pray right now.

Our prayers would be loaded with thanksgiving

With adoration and with gratitude

And trust would be the principal ingredient

In our very prayerful attitude.

Stewart Russell © July 2017

Who Can We Trust?

Today a promise carries little or no weight

Especially in this era here of late

People make promises they know they can’t keep

Then lie down at nights and go to sleep.

It is like this is the norm; it’s nothing wrong

And the argument everybody’s doing it is very strong

Apparently when wrong is strong it becomes right

So that false promises is now a liar’s delight.

“Yes check with me around the end of this week.”

You call and you visit but can’t find the sneak

The next time that the two of you happen to meet

There are lots of sweet words but talk is cheap.

Conscience nowadays appears on the decline

Thoughts are bombarded with so many people in mind

People who promised but never followed through

Leaving their victims waiting still to receive their due.

A promise is comfort but only to a fool

Where the fool becomes a sucker and is used as a tool

Over and over he falls for the same old trick

Hoping that this time it would be worth the trip

“Who can we trust?” is the question often asked

“No one,” you hear, presenting an onerous task

But we have to trust someone to get some things done

Be it lawyer or priest or some other person

Let me introduce you to someone whom you can trust

Hold on!  This is real.  There is no need to fuss.

I know you’ve been disappointed many times before

But just hear me out, there’s so much in store

In any case there is nothing really to lose

Since you have been let down, confused and abused

So let’s go straight to the indisputable record

Which we all know is God’s Holy Word

The first one I’ll mention is Romans 4 verse 21

What God has promised He is able to perform

“Before the world began,” it says in Titus 1 verse 2

“God who cannot lie,” promises eternal life to me and to you.

  

Hold fast the profession of your faith and not waver

For He that promised is our faithful Saviour

And so we look for new heavens and a new earth

According to his promise to them who are of the new birth.

God’s promises are yea!  He will never go back

Unlike men, concerning his promises He is not slack

The promise is that He has promised to us eternal life

Guaranteed after we’ve gone through this present strife.

So, in whom can we trust if we cannot trust in God?

Certainly not in the devil, that villainous fraud

And surely not in man for the arm of flesh will inevitably fail

It’s only the promises of God that will eternally prevail.

Stewart Russell © April, 2017