Father, mountains need to be moved, and we know that no mountain can stand before You. May Your will be done. Amen.

1 Corinthians 13:7c (<<click here to read the passage)

There may be a few out there, but there’s a good chance that not many people know who Shel Silverstein is. Now, if I would ask if you’d ever heard of the children’s book The Giving Tree, that might ring a few more bells of recognition. Silverstein is the respected author of The Giving Tree and several other children’s books, including A Light in the Attic.

Here is a poem he wrote. It’s entitled, Listen to the Mustn’ts

Listen to Mustn’ts, child, listen to the Don’ts.
Listen to the Shouldn’ts, the Impossibles, the Won’ts.
Listen to the Never Haves, then listen close to me.
……Anything can happen, child, Anything can be

To my knowledge, Silverstein did not intend for these lines of verse to have any spiritual overtones, but from my perspective, at least, they do.

Even those of us who gladly embrace the concept of being children of God sometimes struggle with finding hope. We find ourselves in difficult circumstances and then find ourselves clinging tenaciously to hope. We often feel like we’re being battered in a dinghy in the middle of a raging storm. But in reality, we are standing on the solid Rock of Ages – we may be battered, but remaining in Him, we cannot be moved.

Isaiah 26:4 tells us,

“Trust [confidently] in the Lord forever [He is your fortress, your shield, your banner], for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages].” AMP

We know that is the case in our hearts, but our minds (and ears) aren’t always on board. We, the children we are, listen to the Mustn’ts and the Don’ts and the Shouldn’ts, Impossibles, Won’ts, and the Never Haves.

And though it may not have been Silverstein’s intent, after we’ve listened to them all, God calls to each of us and says, “Listen close to me. Anything can happen, child, Anything can be.”

Love…hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times]… v7c AMP

In love, there is hope, and having our love and hope in our Heavenly Father helps us remain steadfast even in the wildest of storms. He is love and in Him we can place our hope, sound and secure.

Jan 3rd, 2023, Wed, 12:35 pm