Only Two Choices

by Cheryl Merrick

Light or Darkness
Hope or Despair
Faith or Fear
Love or Selfishness
Humility or Pride
Trust or Obstinance
Growth or Withering
Serving or Taking
Giving or Hoarding
Building or Destroying
Encouraging or Criticizing
Freedom or Slavery

There are only two choices
Life or Death

New Bloom

by Cheryl Merrick

Only a few short stumps remained.
It would never bloom again.

How like my own life,
     Cut down by illness,
     my dreams never to be realized.

I despaired of living a life alone,
     unable to do much,
     merely existing.

Slowly, like green leaves appearing,
     hope began to push forth.
Growing in a different pattern
     a new life gradually took shape
     full of teaching, writing, and studying,

Til, to my amazement,
     my life flourished,
     thick and green,
    with promises fulfilled.

Never and Always

by Cheryl Merrick

I was never going to
lose my temper
yell at my children
put on weight
become out of shape
take pills
or get old.

My home would
always be clean and neat;
My children
kind and obedient;
And my heart
loving and giving.

Through years filled with
“nevers” that happened,
and those “always” which didn’t,
I no longer boast of my own strength,
Instead, I live
Trusting in His mercy and power
to perfect my weaknesses.
3/23/08

Magnified

by Cheryl Merrick

As I began serving as a
   Church Service Missionary*
   in mid August 2011,
My life began to change.
I’ve been able to do more
   both physically and emotionally.
I feel a new focus and sense of purpose
   and an increased spiritual strength.

Lost Sunsets

by Cheryl Merrick

Wearing her busyness
as a badge of importance,
she spends her days meticulously
tending her possessions.

A woman of responsibility,
she rushes and bustles from thing to thing,
all the while complaining
that there is never enough time.

She hardly notices as sunsets and seasons
disappear into a speeding blur
of furious activity,
til in her winter season,
she is left to ponder her lost sunsets.

Learning Process

by Cheryl Merrick

Bumping into walls
Crashing into obstacles
Falling over cliffs
Bruised and shaken
The Lord
guides me to understand
the principles
of life

Invisible Chains

by Cheryl Merrick

Slowly, we allow invisible chains to envelop us.
Chains forged from carefully nurtured fears
grow, link by link, as we tell ourselves
“We can’t do it”, or “We can’t change”.

And so we place limitations on our potential,
like the powerful adult elephant
who continues to restrict itself
to the bounds dictated
by an inadequately small chain,
simply because that chain
was once able to hold him as a baby.

If Then

by Cheryl Merrick

If you believe Heavenly Father
Loves You,

If you trust His Wisdom,

If you know He gives you
experiences to help you progress,

If you accept that your challenges
are opportunities for growth
that can help you become
a celestial person and return home,

If you believe that these experiences
help you develop the characteristics of godhood,

If you know that you came to earth
to be tried and proven,

Then why do you grumble and resent
 His “interference” in your life?



7/3/2013

His Way

by Cheryl Merrick

Feeling I needed
to solve my own problems--
I failed.

My days were long and frustrating.
Why wasn’t I getting to
the writing and studying
I so wanted to do?

His Power

by Cheryl Merrick

When my life becomes
like a hopelessly confused
computer program,

I turn to the master programer
and beg His help,
then wait
as He patiently reprograms,
undoing my many errors.

I humbly thank Him
for His power
which frees me
from the consequences
of my mistakes,
and allows me to continue
to progress in my life.

12/2/07