Responsibility

There's a word that some folks do not know, nor will ever see.
It's a word that's so important:  Responsibility!
It's possible to live and not put it into play,
But you aren't doing yourself a service by keeping it that way.

Too many people can't admit the errors that they've made.
The blame for everything they do, to others is conveyed.
"It's not my fault; it's his, or hers..." they continue to insist
And the act of being responsible, is totally dismissed.

God wants us to be able to admit the things we do...
To be accountable for all those things and then to start anew.
We can't move on until we have reconciled the past
And we can't do that till we admit the errors we've amassed.

And if we keep making excuses for all the things we've done,
We're not following the will of God and His most precious Son.
It really isn't all that hard to own up to it all,
And if you do, you know that you are answering God's call.

We're responsible for all the choices we make every day;
Some distinctly black, or white, but others simply gray.
And if there's some we know were bad, let's just admit it with remorse,
Knowing when we face the truth we stay truer to our course.

I wonder just how long it's been since I have expressed
The miracles and wonders...the joy with which I'm blessed?
Of all the years of all my life, what is happening to be now
Is something that I must relate; put into words somehow.

Yet words are but faint expressions of what inside, I feel.
They cannot describe the awe in me.  My joy, they can't reveal.
One day, as suddenly as life, God placed within my mind
A seed of desire saying, "Leave the old behind."

He gave me understanding so I would know His will.
I believe that this is what He wants, that this, He will fulfill.
He gave me strength that's strong enough to bring this gift about
And reasoned with my mind of flesh, to overcome my doubt.

Impossible!  No!  Not to God!  I  dare now, to believe,
Knowing that a better life is mine now, to achieve.
This miracle is wonderful, more than I ever dreamed,
For from it much great good will flow...lives could be redeemed.

For this, I am so thankful.  More than human words can say!
I have seen the love and power God has chosen to display.
But another thing that is just as great, is what's happening in me.
My heart has lost its hardness and my blind eyes now can see.

Deaf ears hear guidance from my Lord momently, every day.
The fear that had its hold on me has fled.  It's gone away.
My life has been given meaning.  I know now, who I am:
I'm a daughter of my Father and beloved of the Lamb.

God's light has dawned within me, my only will is to obey.
I'm filled with faith and peace and love that grows more everyday.
Two miracles have happened by which I have been blessed:
The one that changed the me that was and great good, God's bequest.

So how do I as human, praise God's Holy Name?
More words don't have the magnitude, His glory to proclaim.
Therefore, they're simply, "Thank You, Lord, for the wonders that You do,
For leading me to where I am and seeing only You."

Each night when I turn out the light and close my eyes to pray,
Frustration builds within me when there just aren't words to say
How truly thankful that I am for all that You have done
In my life and all around me, and the fact You've just begun.

I need to find new, better words to praise and thank You, Lord;
New thoughts and flowery phrases need to be explored.
I want to show You all the things I'm holding in my heart
And hope that they will please You, like a lovely work of art.

You raised me from the asxhes of what my life had been
And put me in a brand, new place where I could start again.
You give me everything I need so I'm able to survive,
But more...You give me faith and trust to not just live, but thrive.

You've placed me where your beauty constantly surrounds me
And given all the things I love to always be around me.
You've taken all the pain and grief that emptied out my soul
And have given me unending joy, which fills the gaping hole.

"Thank You" are such little words and just cannot express
The greatness of my gratitude for Your love and faithfulness;
For the multitude of blessings that You give me every day;
For the knowledge that You're always there to lead me in Your way.

I'm thankful for so many things I can't even count them all
And my only way of telling You is so insignificant...so small.
But all I have is Thank You, Lord, for everything You do.
I love You and I praise You and I live for only You!

Faith is just a matter of believing without doubt;
Of absolutely knowing that God's will, will come about.
It's  sureness in our minds and hearts when we say a prayer...
That certainty within us and around us everywhere.

For nothing is impossible if we can just believe
And keep our minds and hearts on faith of what you will achieve.
The mountain that is in your path may seem to block the way completely,
But with that tiny seed of faith you can cast it in the sea.

Yet you mustn't let a weed of doubt grow among this seed,
Or it will stop the flow of good...that miracle you need.
So constantly you must affirm the wonder that will be
And put all thought of doubt and fear away eternally.

I'm centered, sound and I'm secure
          Within my Source of Good.
I believe with all the faith I have
          All things will be the way they should.

I will make myself a magnet
          And draw the good to me
And I will never doubt, or think
          That it will never be.

My hopes will always be alive
          Within my heart and soul.
I'll nurture them each day I live
          Until I reach my goal.

I believe that all the beauty
          That is in God's setting sun,
Will gently flow into my life
          Until my days are done.

"Peace!  Be Still!"  is all He said to the wind and to the waves
And suddenly there was perfect calm...the elements, He enslaves.
So if He can stop a raging storm so frightening to mankind,
He can also tame the torrests within our hearts and minds.

Why should we attempt to endure our inner raging sea
When He is there to raise His hand and give tranquility?
All it takes is just a moment to close our eyes and pray
For peace and calm within us, and the turmoil will obey.

Praise God for all the wonders He continues to bestow...
His strength when we are weakened and the peace that He makes flow.
It makes me sit and wonder how a person lives
Without taking all the blessing our God so freely gives.

There is something about people
          That I'll never understand:
How we are never satisfies
          With what's already in our hand.

We always seem to think it's greener
          On the other side,
But then, when we cross over
          Find we're still dissatisfied.

No matter what we're given,
          Or how greatly we've been blessed,
That one thing we don't seem to have
          Keeps us on a quest.

Married people wish that they
          Were back where they began;
Single people with that they
          Were sharing life again.

The wealthy know that happiness
          Cannot be sold or bought;
The poor are certain money is
          The happiness they've sought.

We've got to stop and realize
           That God has given to us all,
Everything we need to live...
          The large things and the small.
  
If we'd just count our blessings,
          I'm sure that we would find
The happiness we've searched for
           Is right within our mind.