Reflections

Reflections
by: R.A. Slater
12/31/00

Another year is gone, vanished like vapor
And another year is knocking at my door
As I try to decide how to greet this new year
I think on the past one and wonder -
What have I to show?
For this past year has had its share of joy,
And more than its share of sorrow.
There have been far more failures than I would like,
And too few successes.
Friends have been lost, some to the grave
And some friends are now enemies.
There are more gray hairs,
From too much stress, and too much worry,
Though there are some who say I have "the" life.
No spouse, no children or the bills that go with them,
Which translates as "You have no worries!"
How little they know! How little they suspect the truth of my life!
There are more scars to account for,
Both on my body and on my heart.
The left over marks on my hands either say I am not afraid of hard work,
Or that I am accident prone, or dare I say - clumsy.
The ones on my heart I'd rather ignore, for many of them still hurt and bleed.
But they are a part of who I am, and of who I am being molded into.
Yes, I am tender of heart and spirit
And I pray that I never become too hard.
For each of these scars are evident of God strengthening me
Through these strange and hurtful things.
He has tried me to my limit this past year,
And then asked me to stretch even further.
I thought that I would break into a thousand pieces.
With this in mind, I wonder if it is possible
To bar the door and fend off the new year?
I would that it could be possible to stop time in its track,
But then there would be no new mercies,
No new discoveries of the awesomeness of this God
Who allows me to call Him friend.
Even though He is the One who holds the entire universe
In the palm of one hand.
I would be safe if time were to stall, with nothing to hurt me,
But there would be no joy - only boring mundanity.
So come on in year 2001, have a seat and get comfy.
We'll drink some coffee and have a good Ol' time.
Bring on your trials and tribulations,
For God is in the fire with me
And I am determined to find joy amongst the thorns and the blood.
I will bear my sword and fight the good fight,
And if I should lose a battle,
Then I will heal to fight another day!
We will dance our dance and live our life and when we are through -
I will say goodbye to you as well, and welcome another new year.
Regrets I will wash away and the good I will cherish.
Bring on the good, the bad, and the ugly,
And the incidents that are curiously somewhere inbetween.
My response will be to bring out the big guns,
Verses like Jeremiah 29:11 and Deuteronomy 31:6
And not to forget Hewbrews 11:1 and 1 John 4:4
Psalm 150 has always been a good one,
So has Philippians 4:4-7
I will fling every verse above
And all the others that have been written
Into your face.
And, so, in the mean time - 2001 - bring it on!
The word says that I am armed and dangerous,
Therefore - of whom shall I be afraid?
Certainly not of you!
Perhaps, instead - you should tremble in fear of me.