Beautifully Free

Please stop and listen,

Repeat after Me,

This ideal dream you have of yourself

Is simply not who I created you to be.

I care not about your makeup 

Or the number on the scale

But I do worry often,

That your confidence is frail.

My beautiful daughter,

Beloved, you are, 

You are created in My image,

You are, in fact, a star…

A star in the way

That light shines from within.

You’ve been illuminating My light

Since the Holy Spirit came in.

So when you look in the mirror,

What do you truly want the world to see?

An altered and carefully manufactured version of you?

Or a life that reflects Me?

The key is that you’re beautiful,

It’s who I created you to be,

Don’t give the idols of comparison control,

Because from these, I've set you free.

Joy Lynn

A Teacher's Prayer (September 30, 2012)

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You, firstly, for being my Teacher,

Being a perfect example of the grace and patience one will need,
To feed Your children with knowledge,
While disciplining to keep the peace.

I do not do my job perfectly,
But every day I pray I’ll be,
A good example to my students,
Of a life consecrated to Thee.

I laugh, I cry, I get frustrated too,
Lord, I simply don’t know how You do what You do.
How do You feel when a child looks in Your eyes and lies to Your face?
Oh, I imagine I’d feel much disgrace…yet You give more grace.

Help me love these students You have entrusted to me.
Help me to point them to You and remind me to bend the knee…
Because I cannot change their hearts, and I cannot give what they need,
But for Your work in their heart and in mine, I humbly plea.

Amen.

Joy Lynn

Confidence

I came in to the conversation desperate, hoping you’d somehow know; I was seeking words of affirmation, some simple words of uncoaxed hope.  But you were quickly on your way and out of the room, not only went your presence, but the little confidence I had left turned to utter gloom. 

Why do I give you so much power, you without a name, because it is not one person but a people, who I look to to save face?  Why is my confidence anchored in what you have to say and why is it shattered when it doesn’t go my way?

Dear God, help me take back the power from insecurity and shame.  Help me to seek You, above any other name.  Let Your hope be my anchor for Your promises are sure.  Let my guilt ridden and self-loathing thoughts diminish as I remember and cling to Your grace, love and mercy that endure. 

Joy Lynn

My Tongue May Fail

My tongue may fail me,
But You fail me not,
My words may betray me,
But Your Word will not,
May my labored tongue
And my lispy speech,
Still speak Truth
And experience peace.

Joy Lynn

Please Don't Go

Stop right there, 
Please take a breath,

I know this road is hard
But don’t let it lead to death…

You’ve got people right here,

Standing by your side,

Please let us in the walls,

I know you’re trying to hide.

These demons aren’t new,

I’ve been there too,

But try to dismiss the lies,

And cling to what is True.

You are made in God’s image

And utterly adored,

If we understood even a bit of God’s love,

We’d be totally floored. 

So please, I beg you,

Please don’t go this way,

I know you won’t believe me,

But it’s best for the world if you stay

Can we get through this together?

Would that be okay…

If you and I were buddies

Who pressed each other forward each day?

For we all need friendship,

Love and forgiveness displayed,

That when the storms raged and the waves got high,

When the world seemingly left, someone stayed.  

Let’s press onward and forward,

Let’s together look God’s way,

For though this broken road is hard,

He walks it with us every day.  

Joy Lynn

How Do I Know?

In my Cultural Geography class, we were talking about Creation and Flood narratives and comparing the Biblical account to other accounts found throughout the world. I was then asked by a student, “How do you know that Christianity is true?” I fumbled around an insufficient response and have been kicking myself ever since so I have been praying and processing myself....I am so thankful my students ask the hard questions because I so badly want them to make their faith their own, but that also means, I need to be able to articulate my own faith. So I sat down and outlined why I believe that Christianity is true and this is what came through.

How do I know?  (September 17, 2017)

You’ve heard it in the stories of old

No matter where in the world you go,

Stories of creation and a worldwide flood,

These stories passed down by generational blood.

You’ve seen it through God’s perfect Son, Jesus Christ,

Who lived a perfect life despite the strife, (Hebrews 14:5; 1 Peter 2:22; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

Performing miracles and offering His blood for salvation, (Hebrews 10:10)

To a broken and sinful human nation.

Not only in life but also in death

He gave every ounce of blood and His very last breath,

But just three days later He rose from the grave, (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

Conquering sin and death, and proving He alone has the power to save.  (1 Corinthians 15:57)

After His resurrection, His followers did not simply sit on a perch,

For “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church,”

They spoke the Truth and preached repentance,

And for that, so many faced a death sentence.

But now let’s bring it home to how this faith is my own,

Before I went my own way but now God sits on the throne

For His ways are best and His promises are sure,

The Holy Spirit’s leading is what makes me secure.  

Ultimately it is by faith that we are saved, (Romans 2:8-9)

For it was to sin that we were enslaved, (Romans 6:20-23)

But Jesus died on the cross and His blood covers our sin, (Romans 4:25)

And when we trust in His grace, He comes and lives within. 

So next time I’m asked, “how do I know?”

It’s not just because the Bible tells me so…

For His work is evident from the dawning of creation, (Romans 1:20)

And my faith in Jesus Christ is my eternal foundation.  

Joy Lynn

A Storms Brewing

I see the dark clouds rolling in,

They swallow up the view,

On every speck of the horizon,

The blue turns to a grey hue.  

I sit on a figurative island,

There is no place to run,

This storm will surely swallow me,

I can only pray for a returning sun.

I’ve walked this life long enough

To know these storms come and go.

God’s light shines bright in the darkest of nights,

Even when it feels like I’m in the midst of a black hole.

So may I rest in Your promises,

May I be anchored in Your love,

Help me find peace in the waves wake,

And keep my eyes on You above.

Joy Lynn