Have you ever walked past a building or church and could hear what was happening inside but felt too awkward to go inside? Like you did not belong, yet you had as much right to be there as anyone else? Or have you ever walked past a stained glass window and thought about how the sun shines through it into the building or church, but no light shines outward from it? The more I overthought this idea, the more I knew I had to write about it. Often times we get so busy in our lives that we are wrapped up in the processes, the plays, the songs, the order of which every little thing must take place.We have to remember to stop and realize it is all nothing without loving all around us. If your life has become too much of a ritual, stop the expected things and do new things. Spend a day at a soup kitchen, visit a Children's Hospital or a Nursing Home. You absolutely do not need to spend days at shopping centers and malls during the holiday season. Christmas will come and go. But the spirit must remain all days of the year. Think about the examples you are setting for your children in your routines and choices. Do you want them to recall you fighting for parking spaces or having fun passing out socks and cookies to those in need? Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! May we all be better than we were yesterday, in His name....
On the Outside, Looking In
On the road to my redemption
I set up camp at Jubilee
And all of my frustrations
Poured from within me.
Christmas adorned the sidewalk
I watched stained glass bend the light
Away from the outsider
Yet inside was glowing bright!
The bells rang and the people came
Rushing past my gaze
I wanted to do the same
And share to Him my praise!
But they closed and locked the door
Before I could work up my nerve
In worn clothing and tattered mind
I was unwelcome to serve.
The sun shines, then dims
On this old stained glass pane
As the hymns for Him
Again and again are sang...
I caught up with my reflection
In shop front window scenery
I wondered what this life
Had in store for me...
On the outside looking in,
I see light so differently
Perhaps it is the Father’s vision
He set forth for me.
In the salvation of the sunset
My spirit burns within
What a beautiful miracle it is
To be on the outside, looking in...
I worked as a carpenter
In my father's shop downtown
We crafted ornate tables
For families to gather around.
My hand became my enemy
After his untimely death
I couldn't focus on the filigree
And I struggled to keep my breath.
I lost all that we had worked for
And the streets became my home
In the winter of my life
Outside looking in, as I roam.
I watch hurried shoppers complain
And tired children cry for rest
People too busy to notice
They are lost, they're so stressed.
Oddfellows on the town square
Selling Christmas trees and wreaths
Old men and veterans
Shivering in the breeze.
I caught up with my reflection
In shop front window scenery
I wondered what this life
Had in store for me...
On the outside looking in,
I see light so differently
Perhaps it is the Father’s vision
He set forth for me
In the salvation of the sunset
My spirit burns within
What a beautiful miracle it is
To be on the outside, looking in...
Copyright 2019 Beth Sutton