Tag Archives: trust

bliss

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child_in_a_straw_hat_by_mary_cassatt_c1886

Mary Cassatt

pull me,
i am on a string.
i float and follow
your whim.
trust allows
lightness,
free from friction
and physical restraint.
you are effortless;
the lovely breeze
i ride upon-
in and out
of obstacle
and distracting
words that hope to
steal bliss
and build contrite
failure.
i know trust-
it is soft down under a wing!
it lifts me from shallow waters
into deep pools
of wonderful renewal.
I am one
who sees your eyes
as beacons of light
protecting from
crags long eroded
by relentless sea.
my soul eroded
once…
heart rests assured now
in perfect harmony
with you
who knows
and sets balance into
my life.
-and I look inward
to call your name
so outwardly I
am fading away
no more.
-and i see your face
in a reflection
growing
more clear
in these days
of love,
of trust-
pull me,
on crimson thread

(c) 2016-2017 rickjstassi

lovely and true

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grove of trees -Renoir

grove of trees Renoir

peace comes in drops of rain
light piercing in prismatic plane
with hopeful glances far above
He is near and cradles in love

when do we fill the gap of vanity
and overflow like tourmaline sea?
i ponder inward and see my flaw
knowing God’s restoration in awe

renewal waxes in unfurling leaf
soft green waves silent absence brief
my Creator will not leave my aching heart
He is watchful and shall never part

I hope someday I will see
into myself amber lens free
to see the possibilty of finding anew
what God has always seen lovely and true.

(c) 2016 rickjstassi

treatise 2

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picasso-retrats-th

Pablo Picasso

For now
we see through a glass, darkly;
but then face to face:
now I know in part;
but then shall I know
even as also I am known.

1 Corinthians 13:12 KJV

How I long to
See deeper into
My soul
To understand
How God sees me
And you.

Would I then
Learn to love
Even more
As I see
the depth of
His love?

rickjstassi

rest

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picasso peace

Picasso

hasten toward peace
acquaint yourself with
this way of silence

hearken the voice of rest
let reason fail
and your heart soften

peer with eager eyes
into the light
shone of breath and life

hear melodious passage
it brings metered beauty
upon ears wanting

allow summer breeze
she will warm you
and prepare you heart

seek eyes of God
for He will hold fast
a gaze of lasting love.

(c) 2016 rickjstassi

love

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at peace
in comfort
resting with
the still of
early morning
in the absence
of any light
like a stream
flowing darkly
in the night
without effort
engrossed in
melodic bliss
pleasing resonance
smiling at
thoughts of
lovely people
new and old
and thankful for all
blessings bestowed
upon this life
now i remember
the warmth of
your smile and
the gentleness
of your touch
to an asking heart
receiving and accepting
your love.

(c) 2015 rick stassi

firefly

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lights
dark and frail
gray hanging on to
a bit of white
lest a black demise.
overcast skies absorbing
what sunlight it can
waiting for night
and equanimity of hue.
pinpoint light hidden
well within my soul
shrouded in clouds
screams to be heard
playing with the thought
that even a firefly
can be a lantern
in his small domain…
can I?

(c) 2014 Rick Stassi

these things…

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"Eragny" Camille Pissarro

“Eragny”
Camille Pissarro

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psalm 23:1

Forever and one day
My cries are heard
Through my days
Of seemingly endless plight
And the angst of the unknown
Tearing and pulling…

The brave resolute faces
Of pilgrims on our way
Led in trust
Held in hope
Steeped in faith
True to one path…

O guiding Spirit
Abiding at my core
Opening my eyes
To so much unseen
Things veiled
Lucid stream of light…

These things I feel
As I ponder ends and beginnings
From birth to death
But mostly right now
Surely in this place
God has appointed.

(c) 2014 Rick Stassi

my weak times

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“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life,
which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” Revelations 2:7 (NKJV)

How shall I measure my progress, Father above?
The swallowing sea gives my faith an impudent shove.
I wonder in these times if I am seeing Your face,
I wonder how well, or if at all, I am running the race.

Reassurance comes in verses and in prayer
Surely protecting me from the enemy’s lair.
But ever crafty and swift, he knows my weakness.
I feel him near now, Father, to You closer I press.

Then can I turn an unhindered ear?
Come Spirit speak, speak to me clear.
But in my weak times I hardly shall know,
What You, Lord are whispering, whispering so.

Yes in my weak times I feel far away.
Lord all of this world seems to hold sway.
I wonder why I still must endure,
Perfection, I am reminded, in your timing so pure.

So I shall persevere with all of my might,
Penetrated hands remain in my sight.
And thus I’ve become my adversary.
Yet still, to know this, I am surely wary.

Paradise and the Tree of Life,
I will see You Lord, Your love cuts like a knife.
And of my progress and swallowing seas?
I know now, in my weak times, I must return to my knees.

© 2013 Rick Stassi

contentment comes

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Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4: 6,7 (KJV)

Therefore, “what is contentment?”, me asking forlorn…
I seek with all of my heart, a heart e’er torn.
To my God, imploring answer with reverential fear.
From His heart it comes, with His truth, begins a tear.

Then there stands a poppy, gold and proud,
She and many, so many, blanketing a hillside – color loud.
Content staring at the sun, waiting, for ray of light to show.
What else does she, this poppy, need to know?

Or the robin gathering food and bits to nest,
Busily seeking to gather, no love, no rest.
Ah, but content, she is, to build a place her family for,
Instinctual it is, and to her, there is and shall be no more.

And what of man, what of me?
Where do I look and what do I see?
I am promised much and much is dismissed.
I need something more, something held in my tight fist.

What kind of man will bare his heart?
To ponder the very things promised to we apart.
God wants me to abandon self, die I must!
And I shall rid myself of darkness and gain more trust.

So as I wrestle with thoughts it soon becomes clear
That God purposes for me to draw near.
And with the knowledge of good and evil I find,
The basis of angst and the reeling mind.

“But listen!” He says, unwavering tone, silent ne’er.
“I shed light in your heart to show you thoughts laid bare!
And forget for now robin’s plight and poppy’s witless way.
I give you more. Eternal Life”, He says, “always to stay!”

I rest with this in heart and mind
Rejoicing in what prayers I do find.
And as I shall ask no more, forlorn and lost,
For contentment came with Thorns and Cross.

© 2013 Rick Stassi

a prayer for a thistle

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thisle

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.  Revelations 21:5 (KJV)

Your guardian eyes so warm, removing harm and protecting  my way each day. Watched over, I feel safe, secure and steeped in Love. It is Your eyes, Lord, that see me through each abrasion and each incident, turning mismatched moments into seeds of goodness planted deep into my soul. O blissful thought. Watchful eyes turning a bitter and acrid outlook into welcoming warmth. Yes, this is how I hope to be: drawing those into my warmth You provided rather than exuding the bitter glare of the past things in me still half hidden. It is Your guardian eyes that envelope me.

In Your goodness, I forge through paths of nettles and thistle.  A thorny weed with a pretty flower is still a thorny weed. Discern appearances, lest be deceived. You tell me this in my heart – answering my prayer, knowing I am mismatched with the surroundings I am in. Separated into goodness. So many scratches on my legs. I was drawn in by the thistle and her pretty purples and blues. Captivated, my eyes deceptively were drawn in. However, I listen to You and know even weeds deserve love. I see their way, misled perspective – short and shallow. They are the remnants of seeds planted on soil not quite prepared enough. Nutrients escape and the hardened clay offers a bed where adaptation is required to survive. Even then, the purples lure. The best you can do poor thistle. Compassion burns within me. God’s goodness brings hope.

Your unmistakable voice, O Lord, thunder and lightning, across valleys scorching mountain tops. Righteousness and truth ought be remembered: “I am God and I am with you”. For the ages. I hear You Father. You will shout and you will whisper. A shout is necessary for me wading ever deeper into the river ready to carry all things to nowhere. I turn back to the water’s edge. Then at night with gentle moon and quiet stars you whisper sweet psalms of joy and wisdom into my heart. It is Your love, both ways. You saved me from the sweeping river to nowhere to bless me with whispers of love. So warm, so loved.

Your guardian eyes, Lord. Steel gaze on all things around. No less me with my eyes looking back. A single tear, a prayer for a thistle. You see her Father. I do too, praying I do through Your eyes. For what You have done for me is ever engraved in my soul and I must break ground and harrow clay to loam. Nutrients are in Your Word and water from Your Spirit. Plant seeds anew and where the thistle once only adapted and survived. Now a blanket of jonquils, daisies, and tulips color the land with yellows and reds. Figs and pears come from trunks stout and firm – roots well watered. Wheat grows for bread. Daily bread.

Oh how I love You. Can I love You more? These days pass and ahead is the horizon – sun waning and moon waxing. All the splendor of Your harmonious way. Help me Lord forge through. To see good. To forgive those adapted to bad. To see guardian eyes looking down upon my upward gaze, Warm, I am, and Loved too. It is wonderful in this way Father. Your path under Your gaze and guided by Your voice. All is bliss, heaven and earth.

© 2013 rick stassi