Category: Poetry

Poetry

counting stars – a poem

by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments on counting stars – a poem
counting stars – a poem

Hello, friends!

I wrote this poem several months ago as my brother and I were teaching through Genesis in Sunday School. The account of Abraham’s complete trust in God’s ability and commitment to keep His promises struck me so much that I wrote a poem about it.:) This one is based in Genesis 15.

my Shield and

my exceedingly great Reward…

I see no way from here to

what You have promised.

I ask for answers, and

You hold out the impossible,

asking only that

I count stars like a child…

that I wait in quiet trust,

believing the impossible as easily as

a child counting stars.

Music, Poetry

the dark before the dawn – a tiny collection of longing and hope

by Laurel Luehmann6 Comments on the dark before the dawn – a tiny collection of longing and hope
the dark before the dawn – a tiny collection of longing and hope

Hello, friends!

Sometimes it can feel as if the darkness in the world and within our flawed natures is so weighty, and nearly too heavy to bear. The shorter days and the gloomy skies can exacerbate the soul-weariness, and so I wanted to share with you some of my favorite lyrics/poems/quotes that acknowledge the ache and frustration without glossing it over, and yet point to the light so tangibly, giving an extra dose of courage to keep on standing against the darkness! I hope they can bless you as much as they’ve encouraged me. <3

I’ve been waiting for the sun
to come blazing up out of the night like a bullet from a gun
till every shadow is scattered, every dragon’s on the run
oh, I believe, I believe that the light is gonna come…

from “The dark before the dawn” by Andrew peterson

send out the light

please

let it pierce this

darkness shrouding my soul

don’t let me sit here

all alone

memories haunting me

“could have been”s taunting me

pulling me

deeper and

deeper and

deeper into

the darkest parts of myself

send out the light

please

don’t leave me here

all alone

– poem xix from my poetry collection, This Will Not Last

…you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

1 peter 2:9-10

and she knew that this pain –

so deep,

so ravaging,

so unpredictable in its

brutal attacks,

would not last forever.

that its strength would only

strengthen her

if only she would let Him

carry her through


those hardest nights…

…and she knew that He would.

poem xxi from my poetry collection This Will Not Last

may you find Hope somewhere unexpected;
may the Thing you’re dreading fade like mist & leave something Beautiful in its place;
may your heart beat again;
may you get warm in places that have been cold for far too long;
may you shift your eyes from the perils before you & remember all the fair things you’ve
seen,
heard,
tasted,
touched,
& made;

may Christ reach into the dusty corners of your soul,
clear out the cobwebs,
blow out the fog,
open the shutters,
& let in His healing light.

Tabby RH

with You, I can see beyond this desert –

on Your shoulders,

I see hope dancing on the horizon,

the truth that

there is more than this suffering…

and this pain will turn to gold

in the furnaces of time.

“furnaces” from my poetry collection Clarion Hope

Do you have any favorite songs/poems/Scriptures/quotes you turn to when you need an extra dose of courage? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

Stay the course!

<3 Laurel

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commission…at no extra cost to you.:)

Poetry

injustice – a poem

by Laurel Luehmann3 Comments on injustice – a poem
injustice – a poem

I saw You in the lilies

and I saw You in the waves,

and I saw You in the smile that

stretched across my sister’s face,

but I can’t find You in the bloodstains;

I can’t feel You through the scars…

and I remember that You wore them both

to heal this aching heart.

This is the slightly revised version of the poem I shared last Friday on Instagram. I needed this reminder, and I hope it can bless you, too! Brokenness has never been the end of God’s story. <3

Poetry

one humble step away – a poem

by Laurel Luehmann6 Comments on one humble step away – a poem
one humble step away – a poem

Hello, friends!

Today’s poem is actually from a few years ago…but I wanted to dig it out of the depths of the blog because I really enjoy the rhythm and the message it holds. Hope you enjoy!

two natures fight within me,

clawing for complete control

and the evil one is winning –

its dark reign I can’t o’erthrow,

for its grasp about my mind

has left an imprint stiff as stone,

and its chains about my heart

into my flesh o’er time have grown.

and I can’t break from these shackles

that hold all my habits tight,

for the rust of time has locked them

and I cry into the night

as I see the one You crafted

to be swift and strong for You

melted to the mess I am –

how could my heart be so untrue?

yet the dawn is breaking now,

and in the early morning rays

I see the promise of the future

and new mercies with new days.

and I see the power of Calvary

making chains and shackles null

as Your faithfulness transforms me

and my shell falls, dead and dull

as new life is pulsing through me –

though I’ve stumbled and I’ve failed,

still You tell me that renewal

is one humble step away.

Photo by Federico Respini on Unsplash

Poetry

a poem from the archives (a.k.a. last year)

by Laurel Luehmann7 Comments on a poem from the archives (a.k.a. last year)
a poem from the archives (a.k.a. last year)

Hello, friends!

I dug out some of my old poetry the other day and found so many poems I’d forgotten…I touched one up and decided to share it with you here. I hope it blesses you like it did me.❤

oh, My child…

I see the pain in the way

you hold your head so high –

stiff, afraid of being weak,

vulnerable, for you feel that

another scar would be a thousand too many.

I see you, love,

when you’ve crawled to a secret place

to let out the grief

when the sobs rise without bidding,

and you trap the muffled wails deep in your throat.

even when you weep, you’re guarded…

but I see you.

I want you to know that

you can stop tracing the scars,

running your fingers through the pains in your past

as if they were pearls.

I want you to look up…

see Me, love.

aren’t I more to you than your broken dreams?

will you risk it all just to sail with Me?

I need you to trust Me when I say

this does not need to be your last chapter.

I promise…one day you will smile again

without brushing the ghost of this sorrow.

I’m wanting to read some more cozy poetry this autumn…do you have any favorite poets/collections you would recommend? Please drop any ideas in the comments!

Stay the course!

<3 Laurel

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash

Poetry

some autumn-inspired poetry (pt. 1)

by Laurel Luehmann6 Comments on some autumn-inspired poetry (pt. 1)
some autumn-inspired poetry (pt. 1)

Hello, friends!

I’ve been hosting a poetry challenge over on Instagram with a dear friend…and man, challenge is the word for it! Some days it’s felt like pulling teeth to have to write another poem, but it’s stretched my creativity and given me some poems that I actually kind of love. Here are a few of them…

cinnamon

as the world slows down in

the north wind’s breath of

cinnamon and dust,

may my words fall short

and my life sing love

in each cozy autumn dawn.

sweater-weather

the wind bites hard,

swirling down from the north and

howling as it brings

a smattering of dry leaves and gravel dust.

I curl my arms around myself,

tucking reddened fingers into the sleeves of

my pilling sweater,

butting hard against the biting wind as

I walk a little slower.

(how delightful it is

to fight hard against something and

know that you’re stronger…)

mysteries

why the sky still blushes beauty at

the dawn on battlefields

why most of us have failed to

keep on crying at the headlines

why we say “you’ve got a lifetime yet”

when some girls die at 21

why we fight so hard for riches

we can’t take beyond the grave

Do you have a favorite of the three? If you’d love to be challenged yourself to write some more poetry, I’d love it if you would join the challenge!

Stay the course!

<3 Laurel

Photo by Kat von Wood on Unsplash

Poetry

whitecaps – a poem

by Laurel Luehmann2 Comments on whitecaps – a poem
whitecaps – a poem

Hello, friends! I’m finally returning with one of my favorite poems from this summer…

Father, calm this raging soul…

speak peace above the whitecaps

lashing out upon the teeming shores.

hold fast this wandering heart;

bind it to Thy will in love, for

I’m tired

of telling myself the lie that

I’d be better off if only…

cut those bitter words off at the source:

this raging soul.

oh, speak peace above the whitecaps…

help me love the teeming shores.

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

Poetry

glowing horizon – a poem

by Laurel Luehmann8 Comments on glowing horizon – a poem
glowing horizon – a poem

the sun slips behind a glowing horizon,

weary of casting light upon

the wicked deeds of man.

perhaps…

in the morning…

but over and over

the sun rises and sets

on a world that crowns wickedness

and spits in the face of righteousness.

one day…

I know…

a greater Son will rise and

fall no more,

casting light on a throng of faithful men

who treasured the light of this Son

while others basked only in the glory of

the one that slips now beneath a glowing horizon.

Will I ever stop writing poetry that a.) contains sunset imagery, and b.) looks forward to eternity?

I think not.

<3 Laurel

Photo by Dan Cook on Unsplash

Poetry

wardrobe – a poem

by Laurel Luehmann14 Comments on wardrobe – a poem
wardrobe – a poem

Hello, friends!

Today I’ve got a poem for you inspired by some pretty awesome characters from literature…

I’m Lucy in the wardrobe,

Bilbo at his door,

Mary at the garden’s edge,

Jo longing for New York…

afraid to leave behind the world

and life I’ve always known,

afraid to lead a different life

than what this land has known…

but what songs will not be sung,

and what tales will not be told

if I venture not outside my door

to burgle dragons’ gold?

Fun fact: this poem stars in my latest poetry book, Clarion Hope!

What are some of your favorite classics, and who are some of your favorite characters from those books?

<3 Laurel