Skip to main content

yesterdays


POEM: Yesterdays by Father Abram Joseph Ryan

Gone! and they return no more,

But they leave a light in the heart;

The murmur of waves that kiss a shore

Will never, I know, depart.



Gone! yet with us still they stay,

And their memories throb through life;

The music that hushes or stirs to-day,

Is toned by their calm or strife.



Gone! and yet they never go!

We kneel at the shrine of time:

'Tis a mystery no man may know,

Nor tell in a poet's rhyme.

When I was in college studying English literature, I read many different authors.  Father Ryan was one of my favorites, but it might not be for a reason you would guess.  He was the “Poet Laureate of the Confederacy” and stayed at a home that a friend of mine once owned in Biloxi, Mississippi. 

I recognized the spiritual side of his writing as well as the historical value of the things that Father Ryan put on paper.  It is my understanding that the things we share, write and voice go much further than the first hearing or reading.  They seem to reverberate in the lives of the people that those words attach themselves to.

Ryan’s words attached themselves to my mind and heart just as so many other books, poems and many Bible verses have been attached to my life.

But what sticks out to me is the historical value of what is written or the happenings that become part of our part.  Literature is important.  The Bible continues to come to life as we read it, and as the Bible attaches itself and we allow it to shape our lives.

Where am I going with this?  Thanks for asking.

Sunday evening we spent with a friend who is a photographer that was taking pictures of our oldest daughter Rebecca.  He was taking her senior pictures.  As I looked on the picture taking, saw the pictures later or just stood and thought, I was struck by the truth that this beautiful young lady was the same infant that was crying so quietly some 17 years ago as I couldn’t stop crying.  She is growing up so fast.

History is standing before me and standing strong.  She has become a beautiful young lady full of character and strength.  I have watched her make choices that I am so proud of.  The story can go on and on.

But the day will come when my daughter will go to college.  One day she will announce that she wants to get married, but I will stop there.  Don't think I can handle any more as a dad right now.

We must cherish the time we have.  The children grow up so fast.  We lose friends to death or to moving across the country, and things simply change.  Take up every opportunity that God gives you.

Yesterdays are important.  We cannot get them back, but we can and must learn from them.  Yesterdays afford us memories that strengthen our hearts, they are points of the past that will remind us of happenings, good and bad, as well as things that we must learn from and leave better. 

Thank God for your yesterdays. Allow yesterdays to run through your mind, but don’t allow yesterdays to hold you back from growing stronger and allowing yourself to move forward with freedom and grace.

Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Have you heard of EDITH BURNS?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas . She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns.  One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns.  When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her.  Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns.  Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved.  Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?"  Beverly said, "Why yes I do."  Edith said, "Well, what do you ...

wash feet, sharing hope

  John 13:4-5,14 NLT  So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him… 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. Jesus set the example we follow.  He served.  He valued and gave value to others.  That is why we choose to serve. For 18 years our church has shared an outreach called back2school, and for 16 of those years we have chosen to give students brand new shoes and socks as well as washing their feet.  It is one of the most important parts of this event. Washing feet is a humbling experience where both the give and the receiver learn how to share some moments that might change their lives.  Jesus said we should do this.  See the verse above.  Follow His example, do what He did, and give far more than you will ever know....