A Secret Sorrow - A Poem

 

A Secret Sorrow

I have a secret sorrow,
A grief deep down inside,
Where large and heavy burdens,
In tiny places hide.

There are no doors nor windows
To meet another's eye,
For no one understands it,
Except my Lord and I.

The times of bitter anguish,
With Him alone I spend,
For in this place of suffering,
He is my only Friend.

And here I fight great battles
With deadly, inner foes;
Yet all the raging conflict,
None other truly knows.

But, oh, what consolations!
What comforts rare and sweet,
Christ gives His careworn children,
Where peace and sorrow meet!

What largeness of security,
To stand within God's hand,
That formed the mighty mountains,
And all the heavens spanned!

To think! The King of glory,
At God's right hand on high,
Is filled with tender pity,
For such a one as I.

By Mary Van Nattan Stephens

Psalm 103:13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. 

Evening Song - Must I Go and Empty Handed

The story is told that a young man came to understand the gospel and confess his faith in Jesus Christ in the last month of his life. As his life was drawing fast to its close on this earth and he thought of his arrival in heaven having had so little time to serve the Lord, he is said, "I am not afraid to die. Jesus saves me now. But, oh must I go empty handed?" The story was told and a Baptist minister named Charles Luther heard the story and wrote this song. 

God is just and gives credit where credit is due. I will not be surprised if all the lives challenged by this song down through the years are partially laid to this young man's account. Perhaps he did more with his dying words than he would have done had he lived to work and serve for years. Only the Lord knows that.

Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? 

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 

Psalm 100:2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 

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The Thousand Word Project - Sunny Winter Living Room

Chrysanthemum

The Thousand Word Project - Silver Coated

Job 38:29-30 Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it? The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen. 

Evening Song - What A Day that Will Be

Revelation 4:1-2 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. 

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 

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The Thousand Word Project - Encrusted

Nandina

February 2026 Writing and Journaling Challenge

Write about a close friend or family member and how they have helped you walk closer to Jesus.

This can be a long or as short as you like.

Thoughts On My Eldest Uncle

1 Timothy 4:12 ...be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

Sometimes people affect our lives in ways they little know. These days people tend to talk a lot about the negative ways this happens. It can happen in a very good way too, even in ways that bring us closer to the Lord Jesus.

My Uncle Don was 39 when he got married, if I remember correctly. My Aunt Deb, whom he married, was around 29 at the time. They went to France as missionaries not too long after they were married and worked there in youth ministry for a few years - maybe two terms. When they returned to the U.S. my uncle attended seminary, and eventually they went into pastoral work, including church planting. He continued as a pastor for years and eventually worked in a prison ministry.

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