When Things Look Bad: Look Up!

What to do when things look bad? How to cope? Succeed?
Lift your eyes to the Lord. He’s definitely the One you need.

Abraham, told to offer up his son, then lifted his eyes to find the ram;
The shepherd, alone seeking, then found the one missing lamb.
Isaiah, after King Uzziah died, looked up and saw God on His throne;
John in exile looked up and saw Jesus; definitely John was not alone!

Naomi in sad goodbyes, looked up to see Ruth would not stay behind;
Joseph looked up from the pit, surely rescue was on his mind.
Daniel, threatened with death, still looked up to God in prayer;
Elisha’s servant saw chariots of fire protecting them there.

Each of these, and many more, found help when things were bad;
Look up to the Lord, may be the best advice we’ve had.
God allows this struggle, these hurdles on the race of life;
We may face misunderstandings, adversity, and strife.

Be honest to God as you repent of your sins and pray,
His blessing might be delayed or may come today.
Surrender pride and confusion and worry and fear!
Look up! God’s loving presence is so very near.

by Elaine Hardt ©2009

The Earth Speaks Eloquently

Water, fire, air, and elements exclaim their existence:

Magnificent sights to be seen,

Textures to touch or view from afar,
Elements aggregated elegantly,
Sequences of actions to observe.

You and I ponder the earth’s conversation:
Looking superficially, seeing trivially?
Looking deeply, seeing significantly?
Observing, thinking, questioning,
Learning, and caring.

Our attempts at understanding
Proclaim the value we place upon this earth
And the value we place upon ourselves.

Earth speaks of power beyond our imagination,
Earth speaks of design beyond our appreciation,
Earth speaks of its Creator,
A wondrous statement of truth.

by Elaine Hardt ©2009
photo by Joy Hardt ©2006 taken in Africa

What Treasure Might Be Here?

photo by Joy Hardt ©2006, taken in Africa
Double click on photo to enlarge this wonderful scene.

A Treasure for You

A tiny, golden nugget is hidden among the gravel in a rushing stream. It would take patient effort to find and claim it.

A little prize, not readily visible in the grassy yard awaited an eager child’s discovery. It would be greeted with giggles and smiles.

A sparkling ring lies among the wind-tossed leaves at the edge of the parking lot. Who will spy it?

What fun to go on a treasure hunt and find something valuable.

Here’s an idea for you. Approach each morning with the anticipation that God is going to give you a wonderful small treasure concealed in the busyness of your day.

There’s no price tag dangling from the gift. In fact, an awareness of God’s presence is the perfect, unique present to every man, woman, boy and girl. It is the supreme treasure, so you must not miss out on this. When you’ve invited Him into your life you’ve taken the first step of faith. You become His child, and He is your Heavenly Father.

Now He wants to give you many other, amazing tokens of His loving provision. Each day brings a treasure to you.

What would it be?

Perhaps the unexpected present from God will be a word of wisdom that you didn’t possess previously, maybe an encouragement from someone, or a glimpse into a solution that had evaded you.

This treasure would be something waiting for you to notice and claim, perhaps something calling for your response of appreciation. It might be something very, very small, so don’t overlook it. Maybe it will be a flash of insight that, yes, God loves you and His plan for you today and forever is very good.

Maybe it will be confidence or courage, some success, or a surge of determination. Maybe it will be an improvement in health or energy, or a glad reminder of a forgotten memory. It might be a challenge that allows you to show the capability you’ve achieved.

It will be special, and it will be for you.

What a difference this could make. The day might be dull or hyper-active, might be peaceful or fearful, might be satisfying or overwhelming. But what a joy in the evening to realize you did find that day’s hidden blessing, unexpected, excellent, and awesome.

To uncover this surprise may require of you some willingness to use a capability you didn’t realize He has given you. Maybe it will be strength of body or strength of resolve. Whatever. It will be personalized just for you, because your Maker knows what’s happening.

What an opportunity!
What possibility!
What anticipation!

Like a rare jewel in the rough, or a beautifully crafted array of precious, polished stones, or a colorfully wrapped present with a velvet bow, the surprise the Lord has for you is very desirable.

It’s up to you to open your eyes and find the gem He’s placed in your life and circumstances for each day. Receive it with faith and gratitude and a prayer of recognition for Who He is and what He is doing for you.

Want to try it for yourself?

Wake up with a smile tomorrow and say to yourself, “Yes, God has some sort of treasure for me today. It will be fun to find it!”

At bedtime pause to look back; can you identify the special blessing that God gave? If so tell Him thank you. If you don’t recognize any special evidences of His grace for that day, remind yourself that improved spiritual eyesight will take some practice. Be thankful, anyway.
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Here's just a few verses to look up: Philippians 4:19, Matthew 6:33, Matthew 7:11, John 15:7

by Elaine Hardt ©2009

There's MORE to Easter

Easter bunnies and eggs a tradition,
A token visit to church mere cliché;
Families shopping in preparation
For just another busy holiday.

Remember Passover, the slaves set free,
The blood of a lamb placed on their door;
Obedience to God was freedom’s key,
Let the Scriptures tell you more.

Messiah Jesus, Lamb of God, was slain,
Innocent, redeeming us from sin;
Death could not hold Him, He rose again,
To receive Him begins new life within.

Some celebrate Easter in lesser ways,
Let your heart find the deeper reason;
For God’s great love let us give Him praise,
Embrace Him in this holy season.

by Elaine Hardt ©2005

Possibly a Day Overlooked

Someone named it Good Friday,
And on some calendars it may appear—
Not a dress-up, party-going day,
Mostly a non-celebration each year.

For God to send His Son to die
Means sin is very bad in His sight,
Means there was no other way
To transform men’s hearts, make it right.

If paying some money would suffice,
Or doing some extraordinary good deed
Jesus would not have had to give His life,
His dying met an inescapable need.

We cannot call Him merely “good” man
When He claimed to be much more;
To be honest, we’d turn to the Bible
And see what prophecies had in store.

Centuries before, it was written
To look for Messiah, who’d come as a man,
God’s grace magnificently revealed
In a mind-boggling, loving plan.

So don’t rush to Easter Day
Without personal contemplation;
Receive forgiveness of your sins,
Make this a time of dedication.

—Elaine Hardt ©2009

How You Happened To Get This Poem

You should have a cheerful poem
that would brighten up your day;
I should weave the words together,
if only I knew what to say.

My brain is on vacation,
this computer isn’t helping much;
I opened dictionary pages,
hoping for a brilliant touch.

Then an afternoon nap brought
a silly, wonderful dream;
the alphabet was dancing —
a lilting, melodious scene.

“Hey, what’s happening?” I exclaimed,
when to my great surprise
letters arranged themselves politely,
right before my blinking eyes.

They spelled out a message
within my restless mind,
giving me these words for you
in unpretentious rhyme.

“Believe! Receive amazing grace
that trusting in God brings;
Your heart becomes a peaceful place.”
Now finally this poem sings!

This is how you happened to get
the poem I was thinking of;
Be encouraged, dear one,
And celebrate your Father’s love.

by Elaine Hardt ©2008