What Would You Do In Heaven?

When Your Efforts Are Not Recognized

There are times when you feel like all your efforts are being ignored.
Nobody sees the excellent work that you do. Nobody gives you a pat,
an applause,or even a simple congratulatory note.

Instead of this, you see somebody else getting the attention he doesn’t deserve.
People flock to him as they flock to a hero. They praise what he has done
even if this was nothing as compared to what you did.

It hurts. There seems to be no justice in this. But such and so many other
unfair realities exist in this life. The best do not always get the prize.
The noblest do not always get praised.

Even so, why do you think so many still persist in the good that they do?
Is there something that keeps them going? Some good that they are still able to get,
despite of being deprived of the worldly rewards that they should have gotten?

There is.

And this something is usually priceless as compared to the momentary applause, medals
or cash reward the world offers men.

You may not get promoted,
but you remain confident of your skills.

Your boss may not notice you,
but you know you need not fear losing your place, just because you cease to be associated
with someone who grants you favoritism.

You may not amass great wealth,
but you are able to raise up your family with dignity.

People may not flatter you,
but they cannot steal away the happiness that you have
in doing what you love to do.

A tree can’t help but grow, whether people see its growth or not.
A river can’t help but flow, whether it be praised or not.

Excellent people cannot be untrue to themselves.
They have to be who they are.

Sometimes only persistence is the key,
and the victory will be yours in time,
a victory made sweeter
because you know you did not give up.

And even if such success may not come on earth,
know that in heaven, there is your great reward,
a reward that shall not perish nor rot
and cannot ever be stolen away by other men.

God sees you in the good that you do.
Carry on, for He is now smiling proudly at you.

Maybe not now, but later on
the words you’ve said will be remembered
they will come back,
full of meaning, and of truth.

They shall return
and they shall speak
as though speaking
for the very first time.

Maybe not now, but later on
a heart will be changed,
a grudge will be forgotten,
a hurt will be forgiven.

In that perfect time
when a light shall be cast
to help us understand
what we have failed to fathom before.

Maybe not now, but later on
we all shall walk upon one road
hand in hand
heart to heart
singing together a brand new song.

In that perfect day
when we shall each other’s face
and be glad that we were friends
in that great journey we called life

In that day, we’ll be looking
at the same sky
and we’ll be dancing with one song
finally seeing
finally hearing
what our hearts have known
all along.

It’s Okay to Cry

It’s Okay to cry
hide not those teary eyes
for they are beautiful
just as they are.

Let pearls of sorrow fall
let them relieve an aching heart.
Let no one judge your pain,
and let none say, it’s not okay to cry.

Rain falls
and clouds do get dark,
yet we fear not the rain
we let it fall
to wash away our pain.

It’s okay to cry,
come lean your head upon my shoulder
come sleep awhile upon my lap.

The darkness is passing,
the night can’t last
and the rain that has pounded strongly
upon the rooftops will stop.

It will give way to a new day
it will yield a beautiful rainbow
full of hope for tomorrow
full of joy for the new day that has arrived.

Look Not On What You Have Lost

For how long must you look back
at the road you’ve travelled
and weep for what you have lost,
for what you can no longer have back?

For how long must you stand
at the crossroads
not moving a single inch
afraid to take the next step forward
because it will lead you away
to the past you’ve been grieving for?

Dear traveller, you are still a pilgrim
and however you may wish to stay
there will always be a time to move on.

Cry and weep for what you will miss,
grieve for the love you’ve found and lost,
yet never let it hinder you from your path
to finish the race you have begun

You are here for a purpose,
and you are only here for a while,
even the burden you have, no matter how heavy it is
will soon be lifted up
never to bother you again.

Think of the many travellers
you still have to meet,
think of those whose burdens you could make lighter,
of those who could hear your song
and the wisdom that you have.

Move forward
Look ahead!
Rise up quickly even if you fall!

Now is your time to rise,
now is your time to face the challenges before you.
Take what you can from your journey,
leave behind what is holding you back.

Look not on what you have lost,
look ahead on joys you have yet to find!

I’ve found a lovely poem written by Mark W. Fields titled “Day of Grace.”  You can find more of his works at this website- ASSORTED THOUGHTS.

Day of Grace

In midst the battle of the day,
When all hope faded away.
I sunk to my knees,
Hoping to state my pleas.

So to my Lord I turned in prayer,
Seeking His help right then and there.
And with a gentle voice He did say,
“My grace is sufficient, this day.”

How I wept there on the floor,
Broken and beaten to the core.
Then the Spirit spoke to my soul,
Lifted me up, made me whole.

My strength then came from the Lord.
Putting on His armor, taking His sword,
I re-entered the battles raging around;
Standing, defending His holy ground.

So on that day of grace,
I saw my Lord’s loving face.
And how quickly I came to see,
That day, His grace was sufficient for me.

Remember the last time you were awed by a beautiful scenery?  It could have been a mighty river, a vast desert, or a large expanse of majestic mountains.  Feel it.  How was it like to be there?

Felt like heaven didn’t it? You were so enthralled by the beauty of nature that you forgot all about your worries and concerns about yourself. For just a moment, you were not self-conscious. You didn’t care about your ego or about any of your insecurities. You have lost yourself in the beauty of the moment, and in that moment, you found joy once again.

Think of many other such moments. Like when you heard someone play the violin so beautifully, or when you gazed enraptured at your beloved’s eyes. Think about carrying a newborn baby in your arms and seeing her innocent smile. Weren’t you filled with happiness?

We can be so caught up in trying to improve our looks, our status, and our possessions that we fail to open our eyes on other things and really look. We can be so caught up in ourselves that we fail to hear other people, we fail to see them and to love those whom we see.

Forget your worries for a while. Look. See the beauty around you. Many times, it is when we forget ourselves that we do gain the happiness we’ve been searching all along.