Love is...........

This poem was written for a Home League rally at the Salvation Army in Kidderminster in 2008.  They told me their theme was love and so I wrote this.

Without love I'm just a noise
There's no relevance, no sense
Without love my deeds are worthless
Just an empty, sad pretence.
Without love, life has no meaning
There's no value, there's no point
Holy Spirit move upon me and my heart of stone anoint.

Without love there's only darkness
and I cannot find my way
Without love there is no melody
Only clashing notes are played
In disharmony the world goes on
the tune no longer clear
Without love there is no place for hope
Just deep unyielding fear.

Oh I love you Lord, but your word commands
that I love my fellow man
And that's where I am struggling
Cos I don't know if I can.

Without love we cannot know God
For love is His very being
And with love the scales fall from our eyes
We've a different way of seeing
Lord take my poor, dim vision
Bring clarity of sight
Let me see the world with your eyes
Bring compassion for our plight

Without love I am an empty shell
A cold, unfeeling heart
Now I'm crying out, "Holy Spirit,
come your tenderness impart"
For this life has numbed all feeling
I'm all frozen up inside
But the nail scarred hands of Jesus
Are still stretched open wide.

And His cry is "whosoever"
For the lost He came to save
There was no greater price to pay
His very life He gave
If God in all His mercy
could die for me and you
Then surely we must show His love
In all we say and do.

Oh I love you Lord, but Your word commands
that I love my fellow man
And it's only through your grace in me
That possibly I can.

There's no half measures, no excuse
and no-one is excluded
If we think that we can pick and choose
I'm sorry - we're deluded
for love is all encompassing
Love's arms remain outstretched
Enfolding those whose pain is great
Love always gives it's best.

Love is patient, love is kind
Love won't give up or change it's mind
Love risks it all, love reaches out
Love always hopes and never doubts

Oh I love you Lord for You first loved me
And I long my fellow man might see
Your love extends to them as well
Lord speak through me, your truth to tell
Oh move my heart with fervent zeal
To show the world a love that's real
such love as you poured forth for me
Upon that cross at Calvary.

Karen Holmes
April 30th 2008