She hath wings

Learning to soar above life's storms

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I have enjoyed writing poetry since childhood and I am hoping to find a wider audience on my blog, sharing the hope that I have and connecting with others.

  • I Am Here With You

    No matter what you’re going through

    I am here with you –

    And every step you take,

    Is a step you take with Me.

    I’m guiding and directing you

    Into a greater plan;

    For every day you live,

    Is a day you live for Me.

    The things I ask my child to do

    Are possible through Me

    And in every task I set for you,

    I’ve already gone before.

    I’m teaching you and growing you

    In the way that’s best for you –

    For every day that passes

    You’re becoming more like Me.

    I’m asking you to lay aside

    Your own ways and intents

    And every day to live

    The life of Christ and not your own.

    I care so deeply for you

    And I love you without end –

    So come with Me and let Me make you

    All that you can be.

    © M. Patterson 2000

  • Holding Your Hand

    When you are discouraged

    I am holding your hand

    Feeling your pain

    Reaching your heart.

    Wrapped around you

    Steadying your steps

    I minister with joy

    When it seems all is gone.

    I see you asleep

    Watching over you

    I ensure

    That none would harm you*

    I alone

    Have counted every tear

    Placing them in a bottle

    I cannot forget.

    Only I have the answers

    You do not need to understand

    I have gone before you

    Preparing the way

    Crushing down walls

    Your God, your comfort

    Your friend

    © M. Patterson 5.1.2000

    *I believe that if we have given our life to Jesus, even if our body is harmed, no one can steal our soul, for it belongs to Him.

  • Farewell, In Sorrow

    I wept for you throughout the night –

    Your breath is here no more;

    The prime of your life, no prize for you –

    You longed for heaven’s door.

    No joy, it seemed, in simple things –

    Your hopes strewn all over the place

    Despondent, slipping – you tried to overcome…

    Now I’m haunted by your face.

    Others I’ve known, left the very same way;

    Their parting, they felt was a need –

    My life forever altered the day I learned it;

    Do you know how you made our hearts bleed?

    Your loved ones are broken now;

    In full-blown emotion, they wonder what they could have done;

    But there’s nothing that could have barred you from death

    Once the dark journey had begun.

    Others may wish they took your place

    So you could live out your years –

    But you were so troubled – noone could come in;

    You hid your anger and tears.

    I feel for the family you left behind –

    Do you know what they must now face?

    A life without you; torment on repeat –

    None could ever take your place.

    I pray that they will live with purpose,

    Rising above the ocean of pain-

    I hope that there will come a day

    When they can laugh and sing again.

    You didn’t realise how many you touched

    Just by living the years you were here;

    They all wish they could see you again

    And tell you that you were held dear.

    Farewell, in sorrow – we’ll not smile today;

    Our grief is much to bear –

    But you, in your absence, have hastened us all

    To let others know we care.

    © M. Patterson 16.4.21

  • A crossroad

    Today was one of those days which define a crossroad and lead into the next chapter. I began the day feeling nervous and nauseous, wondering about the outcome of a meeting. Right up until the last moment I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to come to agreement on the main points but in a wonderful way, all my fears were allayed and I held my head high. Dad bought me a celebratory coffee on the way home and I rejoiced in the changes made through collaboration and choosing not to be silent.

    There is often a need to speak up but we have to weigh up the consequences. I simply couldn’t cope with another year like that and was prepared to walk away. Instead, I have the best possible scenario, able to keep things the same except for the parts of the commitment that drained me the most.

    To add to my relief, I missed out on a potential horrific accident today- a car sped through the lights in the street I was turning into after the lights had been red for them about ten seconds and I had started to make my right turn. Someone witnessed it and commented when they saw me at the local shops a couple of minutes later; ” You avoided that well. Angels were watching over you. I didn’t want to see a horrific accident today”. We exchanged encouraging words about Jesus himself watching me and I shared that He knew I had an important meeting an hour and a half later. Two children in the back were very grateful I saw the car and beeped my horn. I am grateful that my entire day was safe within His care and that the car metaphor was a clear sign as well; I was going to enter that cross road and continue on my journey that began many months before.

  • What Is It We Celebrate?

    What Is It We Celebrate?

    Many seem to wonder

    As Christmas comes around once more,

    Why they have waited in anticipation;

    What they have waited for.

    Perhaps they thought it was Santa

    Or maybe presents under the tree –

    The buzzing excitement in the shopping malls

    The children, blithe and free!

    Maybe it was the carols –

    The chance to hold a candle light,

    Or dreaming of the day to come

    When sleeping Christmas night.

    Whatever Christmas means to you,

    A gift is the central core –

    And here is the reason for you

    To celebrate once more;

    One night a special child was born-

    God came to the earth as a child,

    To live as we do, but doing no wrong-

    A babe so innocent and mild.

    Like us, he experienced joy and pain,

    But He came to set us free

    From the price of sin that no man could pay-

    So we could live eternally.

    And so, please take the time to think

    As this Christmas comes and goes –

    Thank the Lord for the best gift of all –

    The sacrifice He chose.

    I pray that you accept Jesus – God’s free gift

    And that you will answer His call;

    For without Him there’s nothing to celebrate –

    No meaning to life at all!

    © M. Patterson 1996

  • Out Of The Darkness

    Out Of The Darkness

    Out of the darkness,

    Came a new sound;

    A pillar of strength,

    Where hope was found.

    First came a forth a glimmer,

    Then creative torrents flowed –

    A heart gaping open,

    As in tears, I sowed.

    More and more,

    This new song came;

    New melody, new chords

    A new found flame.

    It mattered  not

    Whether it was any good –

    For at last, my heart

    Had understood.

    The music depended  not

    On human advice;

    The message had reached me

    More than twice.

    It reflected a mood

    And captured it all –

    The pain, the sorrow –

    The standing tall.

    And I learnt that not all

    Was lost in those days

    It was merely hidden

    Beneath the haze;

    That sea of confusion

    Of loss and great gain

    Difficult to know

    Which was sure to remain.

    No two days predictable –

    No certain fate…

    Difficult to appreciate

    Self-pity set in,

    Doubts soon to follow;

    This painful lot,

    So hard to swallow.

    Anger rose up,

    Consuming my sights,

    But I was to rise

    To greater heights;

    Only then could I

    Learn to give;

    I had to let go

    So I could live –

    Didn’t want to spend

    Another day like this;

    Such a trap to escape from –

    A lonely abyss.

    To the outside eye,

    Everything was fine;

    Surely I’d accepted

    This new life of mine!

    But all was not well,

    And daily I cried –

    Not even a place

    To run and hide.

    The music stopped;

    The song turned to stone,

    As days and nights

    Became a drone;

    An endless curse –

    For I claimed One knew best,

    Yet smiles were scarce

    And I was not blessed.

    In that sea of despair,

    I distinctly recall

    A hand, pulling me

    Out of it all.

    I asked for it to end-

    I wanted to rise,

    But seldom was there

    Anything but hurt in my eyes.

    There’s not a chance

    I could have made it alone;

    My cries had become

    A feeble moan.

    Yet out of those times,

    A foundation was laid,

    As I began to see the reason

    Why I was made;

    No greater purpose

    Than running this race,

    I couldn’t achieve it

    Flat on my face.

    So I stood, then I stumbled

    Many a time,

    Yet daily, upward

    Began to climb.

    No defining moment,

    Yet gratefully aware

    That wisdom and guidance

    Were always there.

    So I saw that circumstances

    Didn’t change a thing-

    I know now, I was born to sing;

    Here to champion Another’s cause;

    To bring Him glory and applause.

    When I clung to my wishes

    I could not succeed –

    But as I let go,

    I began to be freed.

    The crossroad reached,

    I know which path I choose;

    Worth everything to know

    I cannot lose.

    Though flood and fire

    Come swiftly past,

    These trials are producing

    Fruit that will last.

    And out of it all,

    Births a beautiful song;

    When I am weak,

    He is strong!

    Nothing is wasted –

    It’s a life being built,

    Free from torment;

    Free from guilt.

    The song will triumph

    Through laughter and pain;

    It will bring refreshment

    Just like the rain

    And only One

    Will judge the sound;

    For only in Him,

    Was the music found.

    © M. Patterson 2010

  • Celebrate Jesus All Year!

    Celebrate Jesus All Year!

    It’s not just a story or fairytale

    It’s not just a ritual or play –

    That is what so many reduce it to

    When thinking of Christmas Day.

    We may ponder all that came about;

    The trip to Bethlehem –

    Mary and Joseph and the King

    Soon to be born to them.

    Yet all of this can seem distant, at best –

    A story from long ago;

    We get confused with Santa and reindeer

    And people singing, “Let it snow!”

    The wonder and the awe is gone

    When so often, we fail to see

    That the power of God that wrought this event

    Is working in you and me.

    We get into a frenzied state

    With shopping and food to prepare, but…

    How often do we stop to remember,

    That Jesus Christ is there?

    Are we not like Martha;

    Too busy to stop and learn

    From the One we’ve come to celebrate

    (And so, our backs, we turn).

    Looking everywhere to add

    Some meaning to this time,

    We gaze back to the rosy past

    And into it we climb.

    We remember the excitement

    When we woke one sunny morn;

    We’d venture out of bed and see

    That Christmas Day had dawned.

    Softly on tiptoe

    We would creep into the room,

    Where a tree with gifts below it

    Seemed to break a spell of gloom.

    Now one year after another

    Seems to join a train in flight –

    These days it seems that all too quickly

    Cometh Christmas Night.

    And then the season changes

    And we’re back to work or school;

    What was it that we waited for?

    So swiftly goes the Yule.

    My friends we have forgotten

    That for us, there is a Hope;

    While the rest of the world keeps searching

    We don’t need to sit and mope.

    We celebrate Jesus in December,

    But celebrate all year –

    Through Jesus you have reason to

    Rejoice and be of cheer!

    The very same power that brought us Jesus

    And conquered death and sin,

    Is able to change your heart and mind

    Transforming you within!

    Let’s not make Christmas a fairytale

    That relies on circumstance –

    Let’s put God first in every day

    And gaze at Him, not glance.

    Don’t let another Christmas pass

    Without counting the blessings He gave,

    And thanking the Lord that Christmas exists

    Because He came to save.

    © M. Patterson 24.12.2000, edited 15.12.2014

  • Is There Room ?

    Is There Room ?

    Another Christmas Day is drawing to a close in Australia. What a challenging year with Covid-19 and other struggles and yet, many were able to defy its sting with some festive cheer. For some, it was an impressive display of lights on the house or in the front yard. For others, the gift-giving or the meal. We were determined to put the year behind us and have some good times with loved ones.

    I cast my mind back to the Christmas story which I have been reading to my children in simple language over several installments. One thing that stood out to me this year was Jesus’ birth occurring under less than perfect conditions. Travelling on a donkey back to Bethlehem for a census would have been painful and challenging for Mary; I recall those final weeks with each of my children in the womb and how all I wanted to do was stay home. Also, Mary and Joseph arriving at their destination, only to find there was nowhere to lay their weary bodies except for a smelly stable. We would have gone to a different town and sought alternative accommodation, but they had no choice. The census was decreed and the baby was coming the night they reached their hometown. Wanting the best for our children, we sometimes buy them more than we can actually afford, yet Mary had to accept a food trough for her boy to lay in. She knew he was God’s son and that He had heavenly DNA, yet she had to humbly birth him in a smelly stable.

    I wonder, with all the build up to Christmas, did we make room for Jesus? To me, there’s an emptiness when He is crowded out and replaced with counterfeit representations of hope. Jesus did not have a fancy house or designer clothes. He did not demand the latest toys or the choicest of foods as he grew… He came with purpose – to be our Saviour so our souls could live with him forever. May we find room for Him in our hearts this Christmas and always.