Mercy and Grace

Mercy and Grace

Written by Justina Kate Braun April 29,2013

Lord, Holy is Your name.

Through all generations people speak of Your fame.

You, Father, created all land,

You are the Potter, created it by hand.

You have given us many chances to change and turn,

Yet You don’t push us to make that choice, You’ve warned us Your

 anger will burn.

You’ve given us hope when there was none,

And shown us the light, when all courage was gone.

You forgave us and opened a way by sending Your Son.

Lord God, Your name is great, I see You from the rising to the setting of the sun.

You walk among us day in and day out, and see where the true ones stand.

There is no place far from Your sight, and to the broken hearts You will attend.

Father God, I praise You for giving disciple and guidance.

I’m a daughter of the King, rich is my inheritance.

I see your sense of humor through nature,

And I read of Your love and promises throughout the scriptures.

Lord, I praise You for all the laughs and good times,

I praise You for all the tears and hard times.

In the good times I walked hand in hand with You,

And in the hard times You showed me how to find my strength and how to stay true.

The things I do in life, Lord, I do them for You.

And when I sing a tune, I sing it to You.

When I cry a tear, Lord, strength I find in You.

And When in prayer, the one talking back to me is You.

Broken Pieces

Broken Pieces

Written by Justina Braun Aug.20/13

Lord, please come near, so that I can feel You in this place.

Hold me, because I really need to feel Your embrace.

Father, please stay close by me.

I pray you won't leave me, this is my plea.

Father, when my hope is loss,

I remember You suffering on the cross.

I see You everywhere when I look around,

And I feel you near when my pain surrounds!

All around me I see the work of Your hand,

But I still don't understand,

Why You stay,

After all You've done for me, and I still stray.

Lord, I'm broken and on my knees.

Your forgiveness is what I need.

I come humbled and ashamed to Your feet,

Work in me, so that the world will see You in me.

Oh My Little Dears

Oh My Little Dears

Written by Justina Braun July 29/13

Oh my little dears,

I hurt for all your fears.

Just let it out, and shed some tears,

Because life has just begone, and to come are many years.

Oh little one, please take my hand.

We'll go have some fun in the sand.

We'll work with all your fears and hurts so you can understand,

But for now lets see what fun games are planned.

I see in your heart,

A ragging battle start.

Do I trust or do I dart, 

And if I do will this time be smart?

Little one just keep trusting your heavenly Father above.

By Him you'll always receive love.

He's always by your side like a fitting glove,

And think of Him when you see a dove.

When you think you're alone, a tune you sing,

And hearing this, joy it brings

To the Angels in heaven and to the King

Just to know that you've found reason to sing means something.

I catch myself inwardly crying when I see you cry.

So much pain is just too much to bear for such a little girl or guy.

Oh little dears, just come to me and your tears I'll dry.

And trust me, If I could I'd always be near and never say bye!

A Friend In The Storm

A Friend In The Storm

Written by Justina Braun May 25/13

Lisa, the person I've been lucky to befriend.

She has become a very dear friend.

When my courage seemed just a strand,

She encouraged and lend a hand.

Both our worlds knew of great sorrow,

And together we've found renewed hope for tommorrow.

We've read many promises for if we stay true,

That someday, our lives will change and we'll make it through.

Lisa, thanks for showing me there's hope for my future,

And that life for us has many more adventures.

Keep on fighting for the grand prize in sight,

And for truth, keep always on the fight. 

The Ugly Duckling

The Ugly Duckling

Written by Justina Braun May 10, 2013

There was this girl,

She cared not for fame and pearls.

Life for her was kind of simple,

And when she smiled, out came a pair of dimples.

Old fashion is what they called her,

Yet how she handled it, I’m not sure.

She was often considered the ugly duckling,

And often looked upon as anything but darling.

Her growing up years must have been tough,

Because her friendships were always off.

Did she try to make friends?

Yes, but she was different and didn’t blend.

Low and behold, what a surprise,

No more ugly duckling, because she left at sunrise.

Classroom that day felt somewhat empty,

Question was, had they been a little too trendy?

Several years had passed,

And the news of ugly duckling returning was the broadcast.

Many questions were asked, one being if she planned to only stay the night?

Or if she would stay, which they all feared she might.

Sometime that week, the day is still unclear,

A visitor arrived, and everyone wanted to be near.

She captured the eyes of many, for her beauty was a sight,

And her clothes she wore were quite bright.

This women was so sweet and kind,

It didn’t take long to befriend many small hearts and minds.

They begged her to teach and to stay,

For she need not worry, her room and board would be paid.

She introduced herself as Sue,

And of her past only she knew.

The kids loved the stories she told,

They couldn’t hear enough, the stories never got old.

Meanwhile, everyone wondered if ugly duckling would never make her appearance.

Had they all been too busy with Sue to not notice her presence?

After a month or two,

Some started noticing Sue’s actions were the same as ugly duckling who they once knew.

Sue couldn’t hide any longer, and told them of her move.

She’d been the duckling that needed a change, so of her they would approve.

She told them that people change,

And that no matter the outward appearance, it was wrong to think them strange.

This small village remembered how they had caused Sue sorrow,

And the lesson learned would be remembered for all tomorrows.

To this day, acceptance is for all,

There is no one too different, fat, or too tall.

Grow Wings and Fly

Grow Wings and Fly

Written by Justina Braun / April 1, 2013

Something I’ve had to learn in my life is saying goodbye,

And this isn’t something always done with a cry!

I’ve come to the understanding that in order for me to grow, I have to take wings and fly,

And one great example is learned from watching the butterfly!

It steps out of its cocoon knowing full well that life is more than staying right there.

 Slow but surely he spreads his wings and takes that leap of faith into the air!

He stayed home when being just a caterpillar, but when he matured into a butterfly, he let go,

And just like that, he starts his journey and leaves that which he knows!

He has full faith that his Creator will provide every need.

Just like that caterpillar was meant for much more than staying just a caterpillar, same was for me.

My first time stepping out into the unknown world was when I was around fourteen.

My dad needed help with the store, so he took me out of school and all I wanted was to scream.

School was important to me, and so for my homeschooling my dad promised he’d pay,

Now the goal was set, plus if I finished, a reward would be given to me at the end of that day.

That’s where I started and I accomplished much more than just school and work in that time,

I learned many important parts of life, and became who I’m today in that lifetime.

After nine years of working at the store, my life changed to a new path.

To think I’d worked for so many years to just leave it all behind, but it wasn’t hard math.

Life is all about expecting changes when things go great or terrible,

And knowing that I’m being a help, makes leaving home so much more bearable.

I wasn’t created to stay in the cocoon all my life,

And I know I’m not over all hard strife.

This journey is only beginning, and I’m not sure what I’ll find,

  I know whatever the encounter will be; there will be many more hard problems to unbind.

Life is a mystery, expect the unexpected,

Then you’ll be expecting the expected.

Let go and sore, only then will you grow and become who you are made to be.

And don’t worry how it will come to an end; doing your best at where you are is the key.

Life here on earth isn’t meant to be easy,

So get your priorities straight and find some funny moments and be cheesy.

Live life for God and do your daily chores to please him,

Then all your hardships you face will become easier to carry, plus your troubles will fade and become dim.

Part #2 Letting Go

Part #2

Letting Go

Written by Justina Braun

Many days have come and gone,

Still our darker days have no end; there are many plans still undone!

Lord, all our earthly possessions are gone as You can see,

And I want to thank You for providing a new home for me.

I’m letting go, it’s not in my hands any longer,

And I know only with You Lord, will I become stronger.

From where I’m standing, it is way too big a climb to the top of the hill.

We’re your servants, please provide guidance which I know in Your time, You will!

I’m letting go of everything I have ever known,

Lord, I’m giving it all into Your hands, Your control, and for Your throne.

I’m giving You my future, because You alone know the way.

You created me for a reason, mold my clay.

  The last few months have been dark and somewhat of a gloom.

And yet that won’t get me down, because it isn’t my doom!

Instead, I know that I have my future of eternity in sight.

And keeping this in mind, I’ve gained new courage to keep shining my light!

I realize through these hard times, You’re teaching me to trust that You’ll hold me and I won’t fall.

I know I can depend on You, Lord, when I’m against a wall.

I’m letting go and know that it’s in Your hand,

And whatever is best, You’ll know where it’s need most and I’ll understand!

Here on earth is no guarantee of forever,

Thanks for showing me where my priorities need to be, I want my ever after.

The sun continues to shine and I see proof of Your care,

Your Beauty and Love that is displayed is a beauty that’s rare!

Caught by Surprise

Part # 1

Caught by Surprise

Written by Justina Braun Feb.9/13

Life started off like any other day,

The birds were singing and the winds blowing the leaves astray.

The Sun had risen and the alarm shimmed,

And this only meant one thing when living like you’re being timed.

That day, my life changed in ways I can’t explain!

And all it took was one phone call that brought much pain.

It felt like we were living a night mare,

Only this time, it happened to feel very real and like no one cared.

Was it losing everything including our pride that hurt so much??

No, I highly doubt life would stop with force as such.

You may then ask why the reason for so much pain.

Nothing hurts more then being stabbed and you can’t find strength to regain.

We thought our community was one of support…

One brother suffers, there should be loving hands reaching of some sort.

Instead, there’s living proof of hearts divided.

It’s been said you can’t serve two masters, yet these two have now collided!

I’ve witness on more then one account, people living double lives!

Sunday professing to be living for the Lord; then through the week slashing things apart with knives!

I’ve always been taught to see the best in people no matter what.

Yet seeing now through a new set of eyes, you realize you can’t depend on anyone as you once thought!

Through the experience of losing everything,

I realize that this isn’t home and that one day in heaven I again will laugh and sing!

I came into this world naked and naked I will be leaving.

And one thing that can’t be taken away is my faith, I will continue believing!

We were caught by surprise when money was stolen from us.

Everything earthly has been taken away including our trust.

But there still stayed a few that will never be taken away that remain,

My family and my Eternal Father who owns it all and through this has everything to gain!