My Treasured Gifts from God

Gail L. Stoltzfoos

• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Year: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781641910927
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Religious Poetry
• Index: Literature

Poems contained within My Treasured Gifts from God have sprung from both the broken past that haunts me and the loving Father who comforts and guides me. Hope, joy, faith, love, and laughter all grow from the depths of pain, anger, disappointment, rejection, and abandonment. These are the two sides of the coin that is my life.

Depression and bipolar disorder have been my companions since diagnosed in 1997. Congenital heart disease and quadruple bypass surgery have added PTSD to the daily challenges I face. Knowing that two of four bypasses are already blocked keeps the promise of heaven constantly before me. Although, desiring to watch my two granddaughters grow up, I'm in no hurry to enter those gates!

God is continually revealing to me the depths of his caring watchfulness over my life...long before I asked him into my heart. It's a delightfully joyous discovery and I find myself desiring to shout from the rooftops, sharing this triumphant testimony of grace, mercy, and love. That shouting appears in my poems.

The Joy

Early Morn with a Devotion

What joy a day with you doth bring!

As we find shelter ‘neath your wing.

To know you guide us on our way

adds comfort to this blessed day.

The bounteous beauty of this world

releases my spirit like a flag unfurled.

Mighty trees reaching towards the sky;

birds on wing as past me they fly.

Familiar locusts humming a summer tune,

recalling the beginnings back in June

of quiet times spent outdoors with you:

early morns listening to dove’s quiet coo.

I count this time on the patio as bliss…

our sweet conversation I’d truly miss

if denied what is now

my sweet hour of prayer –

if denied sharing with you

my every care.

“Early Morn” Devotion

“But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds” (Psalms 73:28, NIV).

What comfort we take in rituals. Many people trudge to their coffee pot as the very first step when facing a new morning. Some can be rather obsessive; to the point of crying out, “Don’t even talk to me until I’ve had my cup of joe!” The reality of heart disease has drastically lessened the amount of coffee I consume daily, but I still take time to enjoy the whimsical sign by my coffee station. It states, “Give me the coffee and nobody gets hurt.” Rather silly, huh?

Not being an athlete, I have no firsthand knowledge of their rituals but understand they are often based in superstition. All I can and will say about that is to state my gratitude for the fact that my morning ritual revolves around my Lord and is, therefore, firmly grounded on fact. I may not open my Bible every day, despite being aware that I should. However, I do take time to visit with, worship, and listen to my Father in heaven. I can imagine no better ritual than that! And, yes, I often sip on my morning java as I begin the day. Will you join me?

Power Thought

Include God in your morning ritual to set a proper tone for the rest of your day.

Sunday Fog

Perhaps he’s working wonders

amidst the guise of the fog,

greening and preening

before the day is revealed.

Putting on a festive new tog!

It’s been a gray worl...