Christmas Prayer

This prayer is offered for you, my sweet friends, all of you who come to read my poems and share the blessing of your time to visit and comment! It is an excerpt from a booklet of poems about Christmas and gifts, "The Greatest Gift." Please visit my website or contact me to learn how you can get one for yourself or to give as a gift. Wishing you a beautiful and blessed Christmas filled with peace, joy and love!

May God’s blessings be upon you
at this holy time of year
As we celebrate the birth
of his dear Son;
May he fill you with awareness
of his presence ever near
And assurance that he is
the holy, blessed One.

May your life be blessed with love and joy,
the sweetness of God’s peace,
And strength sufficient for your needs
in everything you do.
May God grant you knowledge and wisdom
that continues to increase,
And faith through times of trial
that he is faithful and true.

May you have endless patience
whenever you have to wait,
And courage for every moment
when you are afraid.
May you always be filled with love
and free of envy and hate;
And remember God sent his only Son
to fulfill the promise he made.

May your days be filled with mercy and grace,
surrounded by God’s love,
And your nights with restful, refreshing sleep
until the morning light.
May God’s goodness shine upon you
with radiance from above,
Like the star that shone on Bethlehem
that wondrous, holy night.

© Connie Arnold

Giving Thanks

How can I ever thank you, Lord,
for all that you have done,
for giving us the precious gift
of your most blessed Son?
What a special miracle
that you could love us so,
enough that Christ left heaven
to come to earth below!

We can show our gratitude
by offering our praise
in songs of adoration,
our voices gladly raise.
When someone is in need,
we can lend a helping hand,
with our ears we can listen
and show we understand.
Our feet can be used
to go the extra mile
in helping one another
with a cheerful smile.

Our thankfulness we can show
by what we do and say
and by always striving
to do our best each day.
The best way to give thanks
is by loving and giving
as we follow Christ’s example
in the life we are living.

© Connie Arnold, 2009
Please visit my website to read more poems!

Worry

Worry at times comes to fill our lives
with uneasiness, doubt and fear,
feeling a sense of impending doom,
of disaster drawing near,
clouding our minds with shadows,
making everything dark and unclear.

Worry approaches like a thief,
stealing all hope from the soul,
robbing our peace and tranquility,
distracting us from our goal,
making us feel we are sinking
into a deep, dark hole.

Worry may be overcome
by conquering our doubt and fear,
with assurance that God's loving power
and protection are always near,
chasing shadows out of our minds
with a love that is bright and clear.

Worry retreats with time spent in prayer
as God returns hope to the soul,
giving us peace and tranquility

when loving him becomes our goal,
lifting us out of the darkness,
and making our spirits feel whole.

© Connie Arnold

read more poems on Inspirational Poetry Blog on my website

Abiding Hope and Love

The Thursday excerpt posted by L. Diane Wolfe is from my book, Abiding Hope and Love. Please drop by when you get a chance to read, and leave a comment if you'd like!

A new poem will be added here after I return home. I'm enjoying a wonderful visit with my daughter and three little grandsons now. Thought you might enjoy seeing them.

Be sure to check out Spunk on a Stick!

Autumn Lesson

Autumn is the time of year
when summer sounds we no longer hear
and winter’s arrival is drawing near.

As leaves slowly begin to fall,
migrating birds follow nature’s call
to warmer climates for them all.

They fly to where warm breezes blow,
and somehow they just seem to know
that autumn is the time to go.

The instinct accepted by each one,
when no longer warmed by the late fall sun,
is to fly south before autumn is done.

Migrating birds in formation fly,
following their leader, not asking why,
steadily soaring across the sky.

There is surely a lesson to learn
from these birds, as we discern
there is a refuge where we can return.

When the coldness of sin is drawing near,
and we are filled with doubt and fear,
a still, small voice we need to hear.

We have a leader to be our Guide,
when from life’s problems we want to hide.

If we will follow, faithful and true,
God’s love and peace can come shining through.

© Connie Arnold, 2009

read more poems on the blog at http://www.conniearnold.webs.com/

A Good Listener

When you are really listening, you use more than just your ear,
Your whole being is involved if you truly want to hear.
In relationships with others you should always do your part
To give them close attention and listen with your heart.

Fully understanding just exactly what is meant
Requires concentration to perceive the true intent.
Listen for emotion, being careful to take heed
Of underlying meaning, an inward sense of need.

When listening with love and taking special care,
You may ease another's worries with your willingness to share.
A friend who really listens is a wonderful gift,
To offer hope and comfort, give the spirits a lift.

© Connie Arnold

When You Need Someone

When you are struggling to get through the day
And things are just not going your way,
That’s when you need someone who will care.

When everyone seems to be against you
And you don’t know what you’re going to do,
That’s when you need somebody to share.

When you feel like you are all alone
And fear you can’t make it on your own,
That’s when you need to turn to prayer.

When you trust in God for everything,
Comfort to you He will lovingly bring,
That’s when you know God is always there.

When you learn you can turn to God first
Before things have gotten the worst,
That’s when your burden God gladly will bear.

© Connie Arnold, 2009