Skip to main content

Are we not all beggars?

When trying out for a vocal group here in Rexburg, we were asked to sing a piece by Johanna Anderson entitled "Lord of the Small." She sent her poem to a man who put it to music - he felt it was fitting as he had been commissioned to honor the memory of a 12 year old girl who had died of cancer. The poem is as follows:

Praise to the Lord of the Small Broken Things, 
Who Sees the Poor Sparrow That cannot take wing. 
Who loves the lame child and the wretch in the street 
who comforts their sorrows and washes their feet.

Praise to the lord of the faint and afraid 
who girds them with courage and lends them his aid, 
he pours out his spirit on vessels so weak, 
that the timid can serve and the silent can speak.

Praise to the lord of the frail and the ill 
who heals their afflictions or carries them till, 
they leave this tired frame and to paradise fly. 
to never be sick and never to die.

Praise him, O Praise Him All ye who live 
who`ve been given so much and can so little give 
our frail lisping praise God will never Despise. 
He Sees His Dear ChildrenThrough Mercy Filled Eyes!

I had to take a moment and step outside. The line where it says "to paradise fly, to never be sick and never to die" brought to my mind the memory of my brother who recently passed on from this life.

I also felt great peace at the line: "he pours out his spirit on vessels so weak that the timid can serve and the silent can speak." This line touched me because so often in my life I feel a tad inadequate for what I feel has been set before me.

I'm grateful for a Savior who comforts my sorrows, especially on those days when the sorrows feel a bit too heavy for me to carry with the frailty of my natural-man arms.

God has made us to be powerful and kind. He has made us to be sweet yet bold. He has created His children and placed us in imperfect frames so we can struggle and grow and learn that we are in fact children of the Almighty and have much to do - that we are in fact capable of so much good. So much.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

getting to and through YEAR ONE

Hello? Oh, Hello there! I am excited to talk more about my summer as I enjoy the last few days before I dive into studying hard. It is almost the beginning of the second year of medical school. Last year was one of the hardest years of my life. I experienced more pain, suffering, doubt, tears, and heartache than I have ever before in such large doses. I staggered under the weight of my fears and found myself often on my knees with no where else to turn. It was a beautiful place to find myself. Of course it is easy to say that now, looking back as I stand proud. There was a lot that went into my decision to go to medical school. Ultimately it took a lot of prayer and a lot of planning. It took a lot of service hours, a lot of hard work in my undergrad, a lot of conversations with my mother. It was a grueling process which no one can understand until you've been through it. I often doubted I was making the right choice. As I was preparing for the MCAT, which is the entr...

Fear as a now third year medical student

It would not be a trial of our faith if our faith was not actually tried. Trials are essential, obviously, but how much of a trial can it really be if all the time we feel His guiding hand and Comforting presence? Can those really be considered trials? Today I am officially a third year medical student. Reflecting over the last two years, I want to take a moment to write down my thoughts. As a missionary, when the Spirit said I would be going to medical school it was a huge relief. I had struggled up to that point to really know what to do with my life. I knew I wanted a good career, a steady paycheck, a job that I loved. I knew I wanted to work outside the home, make a difference, help people. But I didn’t know exactly what that looked like for me until that moment in Virginia. And when I got home and got to work researching and then putting into action all that would be required to be accepted into a medical school in the US I had multiple moments of doubt. Heavy doubt. But I p...
I woke up this morning and after getting some breakfast I stepped out into the dim light of predawn and stood barefoot in the grass. I felt the dew on my feet and the soft cool morning air on my face and hands. I listened but the birds were still asleep. Taking a pair of scissors, I cut a bloom from the rose bush outside my back door.  Life is messy. And sometimes unkind. It is confusing, painful and discouraging. But an amazing thing happens when we decide to take it just one day at a time. It is a lesson I have to learn over and over. Sort of like Charity or Humility or Optimism. I have decided to have faith over fear. To trust that although I can't know what will happen, that a perfect Being who loves me does. And trusting in that is more important to me than knowing. So while it is difficult, and some would say perhaps a cop out for dealing with life, I choose to trust that God cares enough about me to have my best interests at heart. And if He has decided to not share...