KAREN HESSLER

There is healing power in the beauty of nature.

Tag: hope

Coat of Arms: A Blessing of the Word

By

On June 28, 2023

In Prayers

A poem, prayer, and blessing.

In the beginning was the Word

and the Word was with God

and the Word was God

John 1:1
Coat of Arms: A Blessing of the Word




And the Word put on
a Coat of Skin
and became flesh
and lived and walked
and talked among us
and we saw the
face of God

And the Shepherd put on
the Coat of a Lamb
and was led to slaughter
in our place
and we saw the
depth of God

And the Son of God
put on a Coat of Death
and went down into the grave
and we saw the mysteries of
the Holy of Holies

And the spotless Lamb
put on a Kingly Robe
and He rose from death
and we saw the
wisdom and power
the glory and salvation
the redemptive majesty
of the Most High God
Who lives and reigns
forever and ever.

A Blessing of the Word:

May we be filled with the hope of the living God. May we walk in the beauty of His promises. May we grow in His love, and be comforted by His words. And may we remain in His Presence all the days of our lives. Amen!

Looking For Signs

By

On April 3, 2023

In Poems

A poem of looking for signs of resurrection.

Looking for signs of resurrection (photo of rising sun)




don't mind me I'm just
looking for signs of resurrection
little signs that the fallen still rise
thistle puffs that float like ghosts
carrying seeds in their long white hair
a mournful dove calling to her mate
the sun rising through darkened clouds
these bearers of hope wrap their banners
across my heart and stir the sleepy
promises of spring like a memory
just waiting to burst into life

Presence

By

On March 13, 2023

In Prayers

This is a modern psalm about seeking the presence of God.

Presence



I wake up in the night
empty in my soul
looking for you

but I cannot feel
your presence

"don't go by your feelings"
they say

but I want to sense you
I want to perceive
your indwelling

what are feelings
if not messengers
from within

pointing out what
truly matters?

I long to touch you
to reach out
and grasp your hand

if an invisible God
cannot be seen
or felt

how do I know
you are there?

my soul cries out
for the living God

impress yourself
upon my heart

emboss me with
your design

speak to me
in the way
I understand

if I cannot see
your face

then let me feel
your heartbeat

and let me sense
your presence

let me know
that you have not
abandoned me

let all your promises
come true

Let Me Have Eyes To See (A Prayer to the Most High God)

By

On January 11, 2023

In Poems, Posts, Prayers

eyes to see

Let me have eyes to see the signs of your personal love for me!

Synchronicity is the evidence of your presence, the evidence of your workings, the evidence of your tender love.

Though you are shrouded in mystery, I can always trust you are near, so close that we could share a breath. Right beneath the tissue of my skin you live, and move, and fill my being with your holy light, casting out darkness, destroying evil, repairing the damages that result from life in a fallen world.

You choose to make your home not in the heights where the eagles fly, not in the castles where kings reside, not in the buildings across the world, but right here in the hearts of the people you love.

What kind of God lives within a human heart? Only the Most High could do – would do – such a merciful thing! How willing you are to mingle your blood with ours! You must desire closeness more than we do. You must have a plan bigger than our plans. We must be very special to you – the evidence is here for all who have eyes to see.

In This Breath

By

On December 9, 2022

In Poems

A poem of waiting, breath, and hope.

In This Breath




let your body go soft
let your fist uncurl
unclench your jaw
let your breath flow
like water over stones
dissolving every fear
let your thoughts flow
like warm hope over
every bruise
every scrape
every sorrow
every ache
in this space
it is safe to wait
in this breath
is a seed of faith
let each thought hold
this grain of truth:
everything will be okay
everything will be okay

And Darkness Fell: Seeking God in Troubled Times

By

On April 12, 2022

In Prayers

This is a prayer about seeking God in the dark days. As we enter Holy Week, may we hear His voice and find our way to the light.

And Darkness Fell: Seeking God in Troubled Times



Lord, help me!
weariness has wrapped
around my bones

bringing me to my knees,
weakness and weeping
follow me

like dark shadows
pressing me down
flattening my vivre

I listen for your 
voice, but all I 
hear is the wind

lonely, empty echoes
blowing through my
soul, devoid of life

where is your breath
Lord, where are you
in these troubled times?

if you are in the
cracks of this broken
world, then there shall

I go, seeking your
face in the shattered
pieces of this fragile

life, seeking you among
the fallen, the crippled
and crushed

I will look for your
face until I find
some kind of sign

a glimpse, a touch,
a fragrance rising
out of the ashes

a wisp of hope,
a quickening like
the flutter of wings

a butterfly emerging
from darkness into light
with the promise of flight

let my heart
attune to yours, Lord,
lift me out of the darkness

let me walk in the light

A Prayer for these Last Days of Lent

By

On April 8, 2022

In Prayers

Meditations on these last days of Lent.

A Prayer for these Last Days of Lent



Lord, we are so 
fragile

our lives could 
snap

at any moment
our breath

could end and we would
depart this earth

leaving behind our
loved ones

to pick up the pieces
without us

may we find You in
the broken

pieces of this world
may You take

our brokenness into
Yourself

and give us Your
resurrected life

let us live our days
on earth

infused with Your
love

wrapped in Your
protection

overflowing with goodness
for each other

blessed to be blessings
encouraged to give courage

healed to touch lives
let our days on earth

be filled with You
and let us know

that You alone are the one
we can count on

forever

A Prayer For Peace

By

On January 25, 2022

In Prayers

On those misty gray days, I offer a prayer for peace.

Prayer for Peace




Dear Lord,
on this misty
rainy morning

I feel so tired,
my eyes want
to close, my thoughts

want to drift away
sinking into oblivious
rest, quiet breaths

letting the world
go by with its
struggles and war

with its hunger
and demands,
with its oppression

and obsession
for more, more,
more, never sated

this angry world
with spittle flying,
launching insults
like missiles.

Gather this world
in Your arms
like a feral cat

softly stroking her raised fur
until her throat relaxes
with a sigh and a purr

and her claws retract,
the arch leaves her back
as her eyes quietly close

a kitten in repose

A Prayer For Those In Battle

By

On January 19, 2022

In Prayers





Take these bones
and rebuild my life,
renew my vigor
and let me survive.

Take this heartbeat
and pay the price,
renew my strength
   with Your breath of life.

Longings

By

On January 11, 2022

In Poems

A poem for all of those longings that seem ready to burst at the beginning of a new year.

Longings



They are there
I can feel them quiver
with anticipation
those nameless wants
so tired of being pushed down
pricked like bubbles caught
on thorns
swatted like pesky mosquitoes
that cannot stop buzzing
buried under blankets
locked within a chest
as far from the heart as possible
within the human frame
while attention is splintered
like sawdust and scattered among
a million pressing demands
and hunger is suppressed by
distraction
our longings go unfed.


I can hear them singing
those hidden hopes
covered in neglect
the day has come
they'll be silent no more
our dreams are rising
like stars in the night
their light is glowing
a new day is dawning
when our eyes lift upward
and we finally see
they are there, our secret longings
bursting like fireworks
at the first of the year
we see and we hear them
we can make them come true
we can let them run loose
let them fly to the sky
let us follow our dreams
across the new year
let them lead the way
to a glorious new day.

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