Turning the Soil

Today's poem begins with the words "sometimes the heart within a man grows weary from his toil." I think that about sums it up. Folks just seem to get tired, worn down, worn out and so on. People in the workplace are over worked. Parents with children are over parented. Some single people grow weary of their singleness. Whatever our life stage, the rigors of daily life and work and traffic and relationships takes its toll on us and then we wake up one day feeling like we just don't care. That's when we're capable of just quitting, emotionally and spiritually, and when we are most vulnerable the counterfeits and vices that seem to make our boredom and frustration go away for a little while. All too often, however, those escapes come in the form of destructive behavior which can ruin many of the good things we do have in our lives. During those periods when we stop caring ourselves, we also get the idea that others don't care as either. Generally, that is not the case but God and friends and spouses and children and family just feel far away and we somehow get the idea that no one even wants to help. Those dark times clearly exist for all of us. They may grow out of one area of our lives, but often the cloud of darkness spreads over even the good parts of our existence. There is no simple cure when these times come to us, but clearly prayer is one thing that helps. Whenever I talk to such a person they seem to have stopped praying and they become blind to all the good that actually does surround them. Item two is thankfulness. All of a sudden, once we stop appreciating all that we have those same things somehow become grounds for resentment. God clearly is a friend to the broken hearted and if we can merely offer Him simple prayers of gratitude, and of submission, He can begin to turn us around. In short, we just have to try. Try to pray, try to love, try to focus beyond ourselves. That is how it begins. Even in the darkest hours, there may still be a rich harvest of blessings to discover if only we can find the faith to scatter a few seeds of hope. Give it a try.

Turning the Soil
Sometimes the heart within a man
grows weary from his toil
Hardened by the wind and rain
and sun, like barren soil
Where no seed of love or joy may sprout
since the roots can find no hold
And the precious metals trapped beneath
appear as fool's gold
Then, no matter how we scratch and dig
with the worn-out tools we own
They cannot pierce the barren ground
of a heart that's turned to stone
Yet, even such a man as this
if he will simply kneel and pray
Can find mercy in the eyes of God
and start anew today
For God can plow the hardest heart
He can turn the barren ground
And so reveal the fertile soil which
before, could not be found
God sows the tiny seeds of faith
He pulls the weeds of pride
And helps a life of purpose grow
where other crops have died
It matters not how desolate
a heart or soul appears
God's plow cuts a furrow
through the emptiness and fears
And once the lonely earth is turned
the top soil can be found
Which, all along, was trapped beneath
the barren desert ground
Then God takes the broken-hearted man
who's hope is at an end
And shows him how to work the soil
as a partner and a friend
God's eyes can see the harvest
where there is but thorns and stone
For with Him all things are possible
which seem impossible alone
It only takes a simple prayer
whispered from a broken heart
To unleash the love and power of God
and just a little faith to start
For God honors simple prayers of faith
from broken-hearted men
Then He turns the soil of barren hearts
and gives them hope again
By Frank Carpenter ©