Dear Mom, You Are a Priceless Gift
(I dedicate the following poem to my wife, Cara who is such a blessing in my life and is raising my four little children in the Lord every day and also to my mother, Mary, who raised me and blessed me with her guidance and love. This poem is a celebration of Christian mothers everywhere who are blessed by God with this unique, beautiful and precious work.) You are a priceless gift from the greatest Giver. A life-guardian, a cherisher of children, a teacher of precious growing ones, a learner of a trillion trades. God put you here In the middle of the daily normal, In the endless sea of numbing tasks…yet each a cup of cold water…each an honored service. He put you here Surrounded by ear-splitting cries and tiring questions Challenges that change every day Enduring moments that wear you down body and spirit. He put you here In this whirlwind, in the shock of the stress and chaos and mess… All difficult, all strangely beautiful, all blessed and incredibly forgiven. He put you here. Just as you are Just as he made you Just as he is forming you, fashioning you—clay in the hands of the Master You are never enough But you are always enough through Him. Overwhelmed and under-appreciated Attention divided in every direction Countless moments of strength and weakness Patience taxed and tested Creativity in overdrive Moments of mountain-top beaming triumph and door-closed weeping failure Moments of silliness and laughter and stern, loving correction. What a profound mixture of guilt and grace, fear and hope, unbelievable sadness and unspeakable joy, heart-stopping pain and life-changing love. Awed, that in your trembling arms God puts new life Grateful, that in your weakest moments he provides just enough strength Awe-struck at the awesome far-reaching responsibility he gives you Flooded with joy at the precious moments that steal your breath Experiencing love that defies all definition He put you here Where little fingers softly touch, little arms wrap round your neck Where eyes flash love and lips kiss soft He gave you this little one, these little ones, these head-strong ones, these broken ones, these unique ones, these needy ones, these growing ones, these sinful ones, these forgiven ones… They are His. His children in your care. Your children. Such incredible gifts. He put you here. Teaching truths that last for all eternity Pointing sinful eyes to the Savior’s cross Demonstrating life that lives for Him Shaping, training, building, correcting, nurturing, protecting, comforting He put you here. He blessed you here. And He blessed us all with you. For without you there would be no life, no future. Without you the world stops, nations crumble and fall, chaos reigns, generations fall away… Do not forget how blessed you are, how privileged you are. Do not forget how unique you are, how important you are. Do not forget how loved you are, how forgiven you are. How your Savior lived and bled and rose for you How He covers you and all you love in his perfect life, his perfect love How your God has freed you from all fear, cleansed you from all guilt. He put you here. In this day, in this moment, with life in your care. And today we thank God for you. We recognize and affirm you. We appreciate you, honor you Love you. You are a priceless gift from the greatest...
Read MoreEvery Single Day Is a Day to Celebrate Easter!
Although Easter is only one day of the year, we can celebrate it and experience the joy of it every day! Please use the following poem to remind you of the truth of Christ’s victory and to help you celebrate it in all circumstances. The first part is based on Luke 24:1-8, feel free to read it along with the poem. Their hearts all shattered Their eyes all red It was Sunday morning Their Lord was dead. They walked to a tomb To wrap him right With spice and perfume In the early light. They whispered in sadness They walked in pain Their Lord, their God, Their Savior slain! But there was the tomb Stone rolled aside Without their Lord, No body inside! They shook their heads They reeled in shock Where’s His body? Who rolled the rock? Angels appeared Like lightning’s shine And announced the truth That stands for all time: He’s Risen! He’s Risen! When my life is not what I want it to be When my days drag on in misery When I see a world full of hate and fear When it looks like Evil is ruling here Then let that truth echo loud again: He’s Risen! He’s Risen! When my failure stares me back in my face When I see my mess and my disgrace When I’m on my knees in shame again And I get a glimpse of the sin within— How lost I’d be if it weren’t for Him Then let that truth pick me up again: He’s Risen! He’s Risen! When I lose someone that I love so much And I ache inside to feel their touch And the hole in my life is a painful sore And it seems like Death’s on his throne once more Then cry that victory cry again: He’s Risen! He’s Risen! When death’s cold grip creeps round my heart And the life I know is falling apart When fear and doubt and anger flood in As my dust turns back to dust again Then point my flickering eyes to Him The One who died my soul to win And fill my ears with His truth again: He’s Risen! He’s Risen! He’s Risen! He’s Risen! He’s Risen! He’s Risen! He’s Risen! He’s Risen! He’s Risen! He’s...
Read MoreThe Word Hangs High
The following poem offers some devotional thoughts on the incredible, sacrificial love of our Savior as we walk through the somber and sobering season of Lent and remember the events of Good Friday and what they mean for us. God’s grim billboard of love, His Word written blood-red, The sinless Son of God soon dead Hanging high, Suffers under blackened sky As crowds of haters cry. This scene we know so well, Our Savior suffers our hell, But now again we rehearse, Read through every Bible verse, Let the awe-full truth sink in: Every sinner’s every sin Fully punished all on him. At his cross again we stand Sinful heart and empty hand, Watch him love us all to death Hear him give each final breath Shout his triumph as he dies Declare us perfect in God’s eyes! All is paid. All is done. Our gift of life so costly won. Can we just pass by With a brief bitter sigh— A moment’s unease And then go do as we please? Can we carelessly ignore Whom he did this for? Every person we might touch Has been loved by God this much! Can I truly ever see Just how deep my depravity, Just how bad my sin must be If it cost this price for me? May we live the life he’s given, Free from sin that is forgiven. May we dedicate all our days To his well-deserved praise. May that Word of love hang high, Fill each sinner’s wandering eye. May that Word work in each heart Change us deep in every part, Teach us trust that hangs on tight To that cross through earthly night Till that day—forever dawn When all will see God’s Risen...
Read MoreLove Is No Fairytale
We can only learn true love from God. God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. (John 3:16) That is love. That is the kind of self-sacrificing, undeserved love that we have from God! That love moves us to love others, truly love others. God’s love is a beautiful, perfect pattern for us to thankfully try to follow as his saved children. That is true for all our various relationships. The short poem below attempts to sum up and express that kind of love. Of course, 1 Corinthians 13 is a go-to passage for this subject and I encourage you to read it along with the poem. Love is no fairytale That you fall into fast Just an unexplainable feeling Such “love” does not last. That’s the love of the world That gives to receive That feels good and stays But then sours and leaves. True love is hearty labor, So stubbornly soft That it gives what is good When receiving what is not. Love is patient and kind, It long suffers to serve, Says, “What can I do?” Not, “What do I deserve?” Love is an ongoing choice Heart-warm and true To meet the needs of another With all you think, say and...
Read MoreA Time For Everything
In January we usually have time on our mind. January is the month we set goals for the year, make resolutions, think about what happened in the year that has past, and anticipate what might be ahead of us in the year to come. One of the more famous verses in the Bible that talks about time is Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. The passage reminds us that there are certain seasons and important moments that happen in our life on earth. When we are wise we recognize those moments and seasons and take action accordingly. As we go into the new year let these words of God’s wisdom remind us how brief and yet important our earthly existence is. May we also remember that our existence is a precious gift from God–a time of grace in which we live through our ups and downs firmly focused on the Salvation we have in Christ. The last line of the poem draws a parallel between the poor, imperfect peace we might have here on earth and the eternal, perfect peace we will fully experience in heaven as God’s forgiven children. There is a time for everything, A season for every activity under heaven. A time to be born, searing pain, pushing free, Breaking out into air, draw first breath and see. A time to die, feeble, broken with age Or sickly or violently exit life’s stage. A time to plant seeds in the soft, warm soil, Grow them and tend them in seasons of toil. A time to pull up and tear out and uproot A plant that has died or won’t produce fruit. A time to kill what endangers and fights When to kill is allowed by God-given rights. A time to tenderly care for and heal, Nurse life back to health after painful ordeal. A time to tear down something weak or unwise. A time to build strong for a new enterprise. A time to weep when dark sorrow descends. A time to laugh, sharing joy with friends. A time to mourn when the loss hurts deep. A time to dance, celebrate and leap. A time to scatter stones over the ground. A time to gather, till each one is found. A time to embrace, share love with soft touch. A time to refrain when love requires as much. A time to search hard and leave no stone unturned. A time to give up when the hard truth is learned. A time to keep what’s a treasure or need. A time to throw out what exceeds what we need. A time to tear up what was once all united. A time to mend breaks and make all reunited. A time to be silent—let silence speak loud. A time to speak up and step out from the crowd. A time to give love with word, action, and will, As we see God has loved us and loves us still. A time to hate when that hate agrees well, With the hatred God has for all that’s from hell. A time for war—armies crash, people cry As doubt and disaster and death sweep by. A time for peace to build lives and live free To anticipate life as God meant it to...
Read MoreExciting Blessings and Beautiful Distractions
It has been an exciting January so far! My wife and I were blessed with the birth of our 4th child, Ashton Benaiah Nitz born on January 6th. What an amazing blessing! It is incredible to me how I can forget just how tiny and helpless a little baby is until I hold one in my arms again. My little two-year old looks like a giant compared to her newborn brother. With this little blessing comes such responsibility! This tiny helpless life needs constant attention, love, nourishment, and care. He needs it day and night. The little guy has made it hard for me to focus on my weekly writing goals. There are many reasons for that: added stress, exciting events, schedules turned upside down, sleepless nights and a very cute baby to distract my attention. Sad to say, I have slipped behind where I planned to be in my writing last week and this week. I know it is understandable considering the circumstances, but still I do not want to make a habit of it. Somehow I need to find the time to get my daily writing and research time in. If you have any advice or suggestions about that please comment and let me know! I am not a slave to my goals, but at the same time I realize just how important they are to keep me focused and moving forward. I have also missed a few of my daily devotions. I can tell that the entire trajectory of my day changes when I do that. Things are harder to handle and my mind is not in the right place. I need to keep in mind my own advice from my previous post 10 Things I Learned After Writing My First Book! 1 Peter 2:2 is a very appropriate reminder as well: Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. Just like my little Ashton constantly needs pure milk to grow, I need regular doses of Bible truth to grow and mature and face each day with the strength and perspective that only God can give. Thanks to God I am forgiven and my future is perfect. That truth changes every daily experience into an incredible blessing from a gracious God. That truth makes each moment an opportunity to serve that Savior-God with my life, whether it is caring for a baby or writing a book. As always, please keep me, my family and my writing in your...
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