Your Prayer Is Bound By Love

woman in white sweater and blue denim jeans sitting on bed
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Your Prayer Is Bound By Love

When darkness falls upon a soul you know,
And misconduct is the seed that they sow,
When actions pierce the better self you see,
And they depart from how they ought to be,
A higher call demands your swift response,
Beyond the simple bitterness of offense.

Specifically, when they project their strife,
Inflicting turmoil on another life,
When pain and discontent are thrust outside,
And unkindness is the path where they ride—
And when their negativity is aimed at you,
The target of the anger they accrue—
The time for action is not a fight,
But deep engagement in the spirit’s light.
The clear command is given from above:
You should pray. Your prayer is bound by love.

This is a prayer with purpose dual-faced,
For strength to face the hurt that is embraced.
Pray earnestly to guard your inner soul,
For wisdom, grace, and to achieve your goal:
To stand against injustice, firm and true,
Lest roots of bitterness take hold of you.
And simultaneously, with fervent heart,
Pray unceasingly to heal their broken part.

Petition for their spirit’s restoration,
For sight, repentance, and illumination.
Pray for their clarity, that the dark fog
That clouds their judgment might begin to jog.
May truth reveal the nature of their deed,
The bitter pain that plants the hurtful seed.

Your prayer’s an act of purity and might,
A divine request for what is good and right.
Pray that the toxic urge to hold offense,
All hatred, vengeance, and poor recompense,
Be fully purged from where your feelings lie.
Pray that true peace, the peace that reaches high,
That surpasses knowledge, may reside within,
A shield against the chaos and the sin.
And pray for grace to grant them full release,
To find compassion for their lack of peace,
Recognizing that the hurt they impart
Is but a symptom of their wounded heart.

You know the truth; denial finds no space,
A certainty of wrong you have to face.
They operate outside their healthy sphere,
Not as the self they ought to hold so dear.
You know they act as wounded, lost, and frail,
Beyond a doubt, they stumble and they fail.
Given this truth, this knowledge you possess,
Your duty is to fully intercess.
You need to pray.

This sacred work requires commitment strong,
Independent of who says that you are wrong.
You need to pray, though you are ostracized,
Misunderstood, or wholly unadvised.
You need to pray, though they who cause the woe
Discourage faith and bid your efforts slow.
Resolve within, in the core of your deep soul,
That you will never yield to their control.
Let your prayer be a sanctuary, ever near,
A tireless beacon, banishing all fear,
For your own soul, and for the troubled one
Whose inner struggle means the harm is done.

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Holiday Bliss

family decorating a christmas tree
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The year turns slow, a measured, quiet grace,
The final, faded green surrenders place.
The frost begins to cling, a crystal sheen,
Upon the windowpane, a painted scene.
And through the air, a certain sweet note rings,
The hushed anticipation that it brings.
The scent of pine, a memory held dear,
The flicker of the flame that conquers fear.
The simple joy of calling out a name,
A bond rekindled in the hearth’s warm frame.
For in this season, when the world grows dim,
We gather close—the sturdy branch upon the limb.

The laughter spills from kitchens warm and bright,
A symphony of comfort, pure delight.
Reflecting back the twinkling festive light,
That chases shadows from the longest night.
The worn traditions, comforting and deep,
The silent vows the generations keep.
The treasured tales the passing years will house,
Whispered from grandmother to the spouse.
A mother’s gentle touch, a father’s quiet gaze,
The simple, stunning peace of family days.
We hold these moments, fleeting, fine, and fast,
A glowing anchor, built to truly last.
A tapestry of love in every thread,
The unsaid promises that are instead
Of grand pronouncements, simple, steady truth,
Revisiting the spirit of our youth.

Yet, in this clamor of good cheer and sound,
A deeper, silent shadow can be found.
For some hearts ache beneath the tinsel’s sheen,
Where loneliness resides, unheard, unseen.
Invisible the struggles, sharp, and keen,
The quiet battle fought behind a screen.
A heavy blanket where the light should bloom,
The suffocating weight of silent gloom.
A quiet echo in an empty room,
A whispered prayer within a sealed-off tomb.
The world rushes by with cheer and bright display,
Ignoring those who simply cannot play.

O Holy night, when love first filled the sky,
When hope descended from the heavens high,
We lift a fervent, humble, heartfelt cry:
For every soul that walks in winter’s shade,
Whose burdened spirit feels unseen, afraid—
For those who carry burdens heavy, long,
Who cannot join the general, joyful song—
May they know comfort, strength, and gentle rest,
And find the solace of a single, soft breast.

We open wide the door, the hearth, the chair,
A gesture pure, a message we can share.
To banish loneliness with genuine care,
To offer sanctuary from the chill air.
If your own light is faltering, low, and weak,
It is our kinship that we humbly seek.
You are not strange; you are not far; you belong,
Come share our shelter, join our welcoming song.
Let silence break, let every fear release,
And find within these walls a lasting peace.
May every spirit, broken, bruised, or sad,
Be touched by peace, and know they are made glad
Not just by feasting, bright and well-supplied,
But by love’s true grace that flows on every tide—
A safe, warm haven in this hallowed place,
Reflecting God’s own open, kind embrace.