Gospel's Vacancy

Sometimes we watch loved ones struggle. Sometimes we struggle. I wrote this as I reflected how sometimes the prayers of another can and does make all the difference . . .

I was born into the Gospel
And baptized then at eight.
I was taught the many truths
That the way I could locate.
As I grew I came to question
All that I had learned
I found no testimony
In my heart that burned.
I felt hope slip away
The world seemed dark and gray.
The sadness of this life
Filled my heart with deep dismay.
No longer did a sunrise
Stir my heart to fill
Gratitude escaped my being
As my spirit became ill...
My essence became vacant
As I drifted time to time
I forgot that I was precious
In the image of divine.
It was easy to despair
And impossible to dream
I started living counterfeit
As I fulfilled a black hole scheme.
Yet - - - someone from beyond
Kneeled down upon their knees
Praying fervently to Father
To throw a line to me.
My hands were thrashing wildly
In the darkness I was in
I felt a chord - I grabbed it firm
Then . . . I was lifted up to Him...
-Shanna C. Hugie

Poem - Back Looking Forward

This poem was inspired by a talk recently given by President Thomas S. Monson.

I would live with true devotion
As my mortal life takes place
To give time to the Savior
As I run the earthly race.
Yet, the task seems overwhelming
As I look toward the goal
By myself I can’t complete
Because I’m not quite whole.
If I were those I’ve read about
I would know that I could win
Yet, I feel so insignificant
Today in my own skin.
I’ve made mistakes in judgment
As I’ve lived another day
It would seem I’m looking back
As I watch hope slip far away.
I gasp for breath of change
As my shoulders bend in pain
My eyes see only mistakes
Do others watch me with disdain?
So much to contemplate
As another day is born
Looking back I feel despair
Will I be able to find more?
I fall down to my knees
And hear my own voice say
A pleading to my Father
Then, I remember how to pray.
Time passes without notice
And my mind fills with a plan
As the spirit teaches me to listen
I learn again to stand.
I see that through the sacrifice
Christ made on earth for me
I can come back to the table
To feast with Him eternally.
-Shanna C. Hugie-