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Love is the hardest lesson in Christianity; but, for that reason, it should be most our care to learn it.
From Mark 12:29-31: “Jesus answered, ‘The first is, Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.'”
A Tanka is a Japanese form of poetry, which is related to its cousin Haiku. The poem uses 31 syllables covering five lines (with syllable counts following a 7, 5, 5, 7 and 7 sequence). An effective Tanka uses personification, metaphors, and similes in its construction, and it performs well in expressing a mood, a thought, or a feeling.
Love fills the cosmos
Dancing among twinkling stars
Destined to shout out
Galaxies singing with joy
Witnessing marital bliss
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Love breathing with joy
Smiling with each encounter
Spanning countless miles
Igniting one connection
Nurturing with every kiss
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Love struggles at times
Drowning in desert valleys
Clawing for ways out
Traversing each mountaintop
Shouting with joy, a new start
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From 1 Peter 2:25: “For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
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Like sheep, we wander astray
Turning away from our Lord
Feeling harassed and helpless
Sheep lost, by our own accord
God lays a new cornerstone
Our Good Shepherd, Holy Son
Calling us, hearing His voice
His work will never be done
Leading us, on this right path
Following His voice, love flows
With Him, we shall never want
Restoring souls, we all grow
Good Shepherd, loving His sheep
Bringing comfort, rod and staff
Green pastures, nourishing us
Still waters, on our behalf
Jesus, loving Good Shepherd
Unblemished, Lamb of God casts
Body and blood on that Cross
Risen Savior, His hope lasts
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From Christian author, W. Phillip Keller: “It takes some of us a lifetime to learn that Christ, our Good Shepherd, knows exactly what He is doing with us.”
From Genesis 2:24: “Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.”
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Creating a rainbow, love inspires
Connecting two lives, becoming one
Merging together, feelings inside
Celebrating, we’ve only begun
Meeting at life’s crossroads, love brings truth
Confessing before our Lord, now one
Living as a twosome, sharing love
Spending time together, never done
Cherishing our love, always special
Sharing our dreams, dwelling between us
Leading us on a life adventure
Capturing a moment, on life’s bus
Depending on each other, love bonds
Growing tired of each other, never
Celebrating God’s gifts, shared with us
Changing our minds about us, never
Weathering life’s storms, love conquers all
Singing Hallelujah, love declares
Leaning on each other, love endures
Treasuring us, God’s love truly cares
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From 1 Corinthians 13:4-7: “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
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It is important to know that you have to work to keep love alive; you have to protect it and maintain is, just like you would a delicate flower.
From 1 Corinthians 13:13: “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”
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Watching Saturday’s unhurried sunrise
Feeling gratefulness, spirit shall arise
Being retired, life moves at much slower pace
Realizing, there’s no need to win life’s race
Remembering grandfathers, crisp and clear
Teaching life lessons, steady and sincere
Growing up, learning from their example
Tasting life with every new sample
Loving family, with kindness and care
Treating marriage, with love beyond compare
Passing on wisdom, making good choices
Sitting here now, hearing cherished voices
Accepting their torch, these years move along
Being a grandfather, where love belongs
Filling up life, grandchildren sharing love
Joining other grandfathers, fits like a glove
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God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.
From John 15:9: “As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you; abide in My love.”
From American theologian, Fulton J. Sheen: “God does not love us because we are valuable. We are valuable because God loves us.”
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God’s eternal love seeks
Intimate relationships
No longer standing back
Feeling love as He speaks
Our Lord loves each of us
Stepping forward with faith
Accepting His sincere truth
Our God, never to mistrust
When darker times arrive
Opening hearts to our Lord
Never to feel forsaken
Trusting, abiding, alive
Our Father always cares
Hearing faithful prayers
Watching trusting steps
Feeling moments of despair
Flowing from Heaven above
To a stable’s manger
Witnessing from a cruel Cross
God’s Grace delivers His love
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From John 15:8-9: “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become My disciples. As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you; abide in My love.
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Seeking hope through faith
But, love must come first
“Love one another”
Now, empty hearts burst
God represents love
A most precious gift
Follow His commands
Love provides a lift
Distribute our love
Family, friends, strangers
Follow Christ’s accord
Makes a life changer
Sowing seeds of love
Jesus brings blessings
Daily nurturing
Keeps love from guessing
Treasure love from Christ
Love blossoms into more
Faithfulness growing
Raising lives to soar
Loving our Savior
His blood stains a Cross
Bringing Salvation
To earth, dark and lost
This most cherished gift
By God’s Grace given
Sisters and brothers
Being forgiven
Holy Commandments
Obeying with love
Loving our neighbors
Pleasing Christ, high above
From Matthew 22:36-40: “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord our God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbors as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
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From Galatians 1:15-16: “But when God, who has set me apart before I was born and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to me, so that I might proclaim Him among the Gentiles.”
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Life will sometimes serve us trials
God asking for some elbow room
Always leaving room for the Lord
Delivering light over our gloom
Never be surprised when God comes
At His choosing, His will descends
Always leaving room for the Lord
His Spirit pays real dividends
Looking out for God’s faithful love
Expecting Him to come close by
Always leaving room for the Lord
Never certain of how, when, why
Following God’s Holy commands
He stands at center of our selves
Always leaving room for the Lord
Transforming lives, from cluttered shelves
Just as Jesus stuns vengeful Saul
On a darkened Damascus road
Always leaving room for the Lord
Knowing our way, will just implode
Any given time, God breaks in
He blesses us with His surprise
Always leaving room for the Lord
Following His plan, always wise
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From Scottish evangelist and Christian teacher, Oswald Chambers: “Always be in a state of expectancy, and see that you leave room for God to come in as He likes.”
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