In her beautiful, soulful poetry and prayers, Cheryl Anne has a wonderful way of tapping into our wounded humanity and the way God meets us with His rest, joy and peace. My heart says a grateful Amen to the touching words she shares here.
“The Joy
of the Lord
is my strength…”
This I sing
when there seems to be
no good reason for singing.
But this is a Joy
beyond all circumstance
and beneath mere feeling;
It is part of the fabric
of Our Being.
It is the wellspring
of our healing.
This Joy is
the Hopeful Song
of the slave
and the soft salted smile
by the side of the grave.
This Joy is made
of redemptive laughter;
as much for Here
as for Hereafter.
This Joy is made
of the Mother’s Tears
warm in our veins
when we face our fears.
This is the Joy
born of sorrow’s
cracked seed…
This is the Joy
of a soul
finally freed.
Not something
outside to be wished
or attained,
but inherently Human;
Divinely ingrained…
And so I sing
in the midst of the pain~
“The Joy
of the Lord
is my strength…”
~Cheryl…
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Poetry Joy 
Thank you for sharing this, Joy. The line about joy being the “The hopeful song of the slave” really grabs me as does “of a soul finally freed.” Someday we will be fully free, right?! I loved your Soul Shots newsletter! I still need to return to find all of the Bible books yet though! Love and blessings to you!
Me, too, Trudy. They speak of holy truth that is ours by faith in Christ even if we haven’t fully experienced it yet. But we will, one day! Thank you so much for letting me know the Soul Shots newsletter appealed to you. That warms my heart! And don’t worry if you don’t get all the Bible books at first glance. It took me a couple of goes at least to see them all! Love and blessings to you too, dear friend! xo 💜
Dear Joy,
Thank you for sharing this beautiful poetry. This stanza especially touches me today:
This Joy is made
of redemptive laughter;
as much for Here
as for Hereafter.
He really does start the process of redemption right here, through these pain-filled seasons. And yet we know that it will be completed more fully in the Hereafter. What a precious hope! Love and hugs to you Dear Friend! xoxo
Dear Bettie, I love your deeply discerning eye that sees so much in the beauty of words, and in poetry in particular. You have such a gift for drawing out the hidden gems. My heart lifted on reading your thoughts. Yes, even here, even now in these pain-filled seasons we are in the process of being redeemed, made new. Such a precious hope indeed! Blessings, love and hugs to you, my friend. xoxo 💜