Tag: joy

Family, Gospel Topics, Lifestyle

If I Had Planned My Life Out

christyaustin1680

If I had planned my life out,

The twists and turns would all be straight

The jagged edges and the rough corners, would be smooth

Only love and never hate.

If I had planned my life out,

There would be endurance involved I’m sure,

But not to the degree that I have experienced it.

There would be more smiles and less weeping.

If I had planned my life out, the blossoms would always be blooming.

The sun would shine indefinitely, and the dark would not destroy the light.

BUT

I did not plan my life out, as you know this to be true.

God had a hand in everything, and knew the right thing to do.

He knew I would enjoy the happy, the easier and the calm.

But he knew my strength would not build from these foundations,

So that’s when he sent the storms.

The storms I have felt have been tough, sometimes beaten me to the core.

As I stay close to God in those storms I pray for strength,

At times I wonder if God remembers how much I’ve endured?

When the load feels too heavy, the faith gets me through.

Faith in God always comes through.

Faith in His plan, remembering it was always about His plan and not mine.

No matter the trial or the hardship … there is light in the end, when we move forward with Faith in God and remember his hand is in all things.

If I had planned my life out….

I quickly see, it is not the life that was meant for me.

My joys have been amazing and my happiness has been beyond anything I imagined..

The reason being?

Because I’ve felt the storm, and it made the light and the calmness more amazing in every way.

We build some of our greatest strength, our greatest faith … through the tough times.

Those tough times make the beautiful times magnificent.

And for this I know…

I’m glad I didn’t plan my life out.

Gods plan is best despite the jagged edges and rough corners.

For God will push us and shape us, into the people we were meant to be.

God knows the bigger picture.

And because of this… I’m glad I did not plan my life out.

It’s best this way, for you and for me.

Family, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous

When We Come Out of the Shadows

christyaustin1680

The idea for this poem came to mind when I was listening to the radio. They played the song by Linkin Park “Shadow of the Day.”

I’ve heard that song a lot.. but it hit me and I started thinking about the BIG shadow that we are all in right now… the Covid 19 pandemic.

And then it went even deeper and I thought about my own “shadows.” Eight month ago I had a baby early due to a heart condition … I’m still in that shadow but I’m finding that hope.

We ALL have our different “shadows” that we step through.

I hope this poem can remind you to push through and find that HOPE.

Snuggling my precious premie baby hooked up to all her many monitors.

When We Come Out of the Shadows

When we come out of the shadows,

The world will be brighter than before.

The sun will consume our entire souls,

Life will not feel the same.

When we come out of the shadows,

We will do all we can to stay in the light,

We did our time, in dim surroundings,

We will be ready to reappear with an even stronger spirit than ever before.

When we come out of the shadows,

We will vow to recommit ourselves.

Nothing will be taken for granted,

The struggles we endured may have scarred us forever,

Perhaps in a more beneficial way versus an unfavorable way.

Because now those shadows have passed on,

Those shadows that were hard and uncertain.

Shadows that we wondered if we would EVER come out of,

Shadows that were lonely, that were hard, that tested the VERY core of the human spirit.

When we come out of the shadows,

The daylight will illuminate the world.

The light that will seep into us will be indescribable,

The shadows will be left behind , in the past, where they belong.

For now you see… those shadows, shaped you and me,

Those shadows were a test, and at times seemed unbearable,

Still….the idea of HOPE carried us onward.

Knowing that there WOULD be light at some point, someday….brought Hope.

When we come out of the shadows,

The world will be forever changed within our hearts.

Our souls will breathe in peace and and our hearts will swell with gratitude.

The shadows had to happen,

The shadows had to take time,

Because of the shadows, there is a beautiful light,

A light that will forever be brighter than EVER before,

A light that will continue to embrace us through life’s journey.

When we come out of the shadows you’ll see,

Life is JUST EXACTLY how it was meant to be.

The shadows were there, and when they dissipate,

The brightness of HOPE and LOVE will shine beyond description, and as obscure as it may seem,

We will recognize, those shadows were there for a reason because it shaped us into who we are now,

When we come out of the shadows, life begins again.

A new start, a new beginning, with an overhanging luster of Hope that can never be achieved again.

We will come out of the shadows,

We must Hang on to that Hope. 

The shadows are but a season,

The light is close.

Do what you must, work through it with all your might,

Push yourself out of those shadows,

For you will find that light.

 

—Christy Lee Austin

My baby girl in the NICU

 

Baby girl was so tough and strong to deal with her rough beginnings.