Celebrating the Celebrant!

Over 11 months gone, the year is almost done
It should be Celebration Time for everyone!
No matter how challenging the year has been
The mercies of God you’ve surely seen
So forget about the Stress, Struggles and Strife
Sing, Dance, Shout, Clap and thank God for the gift of LIFE!

Spread the Love that comes from above
Spread the Joy to every girl and boy
Spread the goods and some delicious food
Spread the Word about the Birth of the LORD
Spread the greetings of this Special Season
Share a hug and a kiss, with those you love and miss!

A Very Merry Christmas and HAPPY New Year,
From LADY I to everyone far and near!

p.s. Don't forget to celebrate the actual celebrant in this CHRISTmas season!
And in that spirit, allow me to share with you a little poem I wrote years ago, specifically on November 12th 2002:


HIS STORY

He was a baby, born in a manger, watched by the shepherds, served by the Kings
He was a boy, caught in the temple, teaching the aged, what His father taught Him

He was a man, baptized in the Jordan, from which He emerged as the dove descended
Then God proclaimed: "This is my Son, in Him I'm well pleased, He is my beloved"

He was still a man, hung on the cross, wounded and bleeding, despised by other men
His blood was shed, your sins to cleanse, your ills to heal, your hearts to mend

He is a King, a high priest is He, esteemed above all, the one I adore
Soon He will come, come for His own, the ones who choose to love Him more and more

From tiny babe to great King, He remains humble, with hands stretched out to you, He calls
Will you respond, will your surrender; your heart, your life, your love, your all?

_ _ _
Lady I. - Willingly Surrendered

How Do I Go On?

This poem is dedicated to you who are facing overwhelming circumstances and wondering if you will ever get through. I feel you.

HOW DO I GO ON?
Copyright ©Ifueko Ogbomo 2009

A body broken. A love lost. A dream destroyed.
Pain indescribable. Misery irrepressible. Agony insurmountable.
A body racked with pain is brutal
A heart wrecked by despair, fatal

One minute all is well: The sky is blue, the grass is green,
birds sing sweetly, laughter rings freely;
One minute, you’re walking with a pep in your step; a twinkle in your eye and a super-sparkly smile
The next minute, everything changes
An argument. An accident. One morbid message. One calamitous call.
Instantly laughter is transformed into tears, exuberant joy into immeasurable sorrow
The light of day becomes a gross darkness, crushing your very soul
Life as you know it ceases to be

Then questions arise: Why this? Why now? Why me? Why? ...
The answers elude, thus the despair deepens.
The broken body will never mend. The lost love will never be found. The destroyed dream will never be realized.
Then the many questions become one: ‘How do I go on?’

When each dawn is but a despicable reminder of another dreaded day
The laughter of others but a dagger thrust deeper into my despondent soul
How do I go on?
Would that I stop feeling, for all I feel is raw, incessant pain – I long to go numb
Would that I stop seeing, for all I see conjures up terrifying memories – I long to forget
There is no more light, no, just a dark dark night
I am become but a shadow of what I once was
How do I go on?
My past, forgotten; my present, traumatic; my future, what future?
I know of none. I imagine none. I envision nothing.
How do I go on?
I have but one desire: to close my eyes in eternal sleep, and no more ever weep.
Or know you another way? Pray show me, please, tell me...
How do I go on?
_ _ _

In answer to the above question, let me say the following:
You go on by looking up, and you do it one day at a time.
Don’t look downward or inward because all you’ll see is sorrow. Don’t look around you because your circumstances will overwhelm you.
Just look up to God.
Whenever I face situations that make me wonder how I could ever go on, I find solace in two scriptural facts:
1. Nothing, absolutely nothing, neither death nor life, the present or the future, will ever be able to separate mefrom the unconditional everlasting love God has for me (Romans 8: 38,39; Jeremiah 31:3).
2. Since I love God, and I’m called according to His purpose, then I know that God causes ALL things to work together for my good, ultimately (Romans 8:28).
When I’m overwhelmed by life, believing these facts give me the strength to go on, one day at a time and I hope they will do the same for you.

Remember, no matter how long a night is, it must give way to the rising of the sun - the light of a brand new day. Look up!
_ _ _
Lady I. – Still Standing Strong!