Ravages of war scar lands far and wide; the 20th and 21st centuries saw humans littered in human waste, intestinal with detonated bones dating back to a peace treaty signed for 'peace in their time.' The war to end them all hasn't ended... We as people have a knack for destruction...In the end, an old bomb rusted out from 1918 does not care who or what it blasts away...

A backyard in France, a swing set blown to bite-size swings... orange-tainted water in Vietnam, deformed children who never knew war...operation smile for the camera; you've been born with missing teeth...

Mental war rages in that realm where souls lost hover...At the breast of hate is nursed bitterness... Both of those sisters are hellions; they fork roads and change landscapes, carving craters into ash heaps...

Bamboo and iron walls fall only to close again...Crucified for being a Christian, remember that lyric, "I think we should learn to love ourselves before it's made illegal. When will we learn? When will we change?" Humans haven't and won't ever learn... evil begets more of itself... Our hearts are not good, but evil...

Mad echo is never-ending, for once it starts to fade, fifty more echoes have filled the bloody trench of stench...

Don't even mention the veterans of other men's wars who are falling off stools, shot, cut, or overdosed faster than the wars they fought in... Their bodies litter the land; they are the ones who survive with guilt... Some take up smoking; others take up PTSD... Sleepless nights in a row followed by three hours of restless sleep...

They are the homeless among us; they are not cared for but only spat upon...

Many of us are tired and lackluster with our hope. Tired of negativity, political rancor, grumpy and whiny people. Tired of trying to make changes in our lives. But we’d better make some changes because Proverbs 13:12 says: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” Yikes! Who wants a sick heart? When we lose hope, we lose our health, our determination, our dreams, and our desire to face another day.…

Proverbs 13:12.

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

We live in both: heart sick… tree of life. The one brings deep despair, the other invigorates body, soul, and spirit. We need both… without the one, the other has little meaning.

This week, change focus from what you are hoping for to Who you are hoping in; this change of focus  leads you into God’s inner sanctuary. ( Hebrews 6:19).

Hope Deferred: when nothing seems to be working

There is nothing more frustrating than praying for months, years or even days for one thing in hope, only to be left feeling crushed and without an answer. I recall a moment when I attended a three day church program, to fast and pray about my business amongst other prayers. I was trusting God for a breakthrough, open doors and all. But after the program, my business that was already struggling…