No and Yes - the poem, revised

Each of us is unique, special,

one of a kind!

No, no, no-no-no!
God’s goodness does not come and go.
Yes, yes, yes-yes-yes.
Good is now and here to bless.

What God intends, He carries out,
It will not do to fret or doubt.
You are essential to God’s plan
Of perfect God and perfect man.

You are the proof that Love is here,
That good is real, that man is dear.
Wherever you go, you are God’s light,
Scattering fear and darkest night.

You’re cherished now, one of a kind,
Unique expression of one Mind.
He needs you and you love to be
His child – holy, pure and free.

Yes, yes, yes-yes-yes.
You better believe you’re here to bless.
Your job today? To make God known
Through our love, His love is shown.

No, no, no-no-no!
What comes from God won’t ebb and flow.
His love is focused, won’t digress.
You are His great delight, oh yes!

by Sandi Justad

The Lord is my Shepherd

A shepherd carries

his found sheep

Sometimes life and relationships seem very complicated. They are not, really. Truth is simple and direct. Love is caring and honest. Attentiveness is timely and thorough.

It’s when we stray from being true to ourselves as God knows us, that things get blurred. Dishonesty, for example, gets complicated because one deception leads to another. Procrastination gets complicated because neglected tasks pile up.

What cuts through all this is the simplicity of goodness. If God is entirely good – and the Bible, especially Jesus' life and words, assures us over and over of the power of good – then His/Her creation is intended to praise and honor Him/Her by expressing that universal goodness.

Someone once said that if life consists in the unfolding of good – and it does - then procrastination is putting off good. Who would want to do that?

So here’s a little email story going around that illustrates the simplicity of truth.

A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most comforting passages in the Bible: Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the six verses.

Little Ricky was excited about the task – but he was having trouble learning the whole Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line.

On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Ricky was no longer nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said with conviction, "The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know."