original poetry

The One Who Walks With Us Every Mile

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

Backstory:
I was talking with my therapist recently about chronic illness and how invisible it often is to others. When someone breaks a bone or has surgery, people can usually see the injury and understand that healing is needed. But with chronic illness, pain, fatigue, and many other symptoms are often hidden beneath the surface. As we talked, I realized that emotional struggles can be just as invisible. Many people quietly carry burdens such as anxiety, depression, grief, loneliness, or family challenges that no one else can see. It made me think about how every person is walking a unique path, wearing shoes worn by miles of experiences and struggles that are often unseen by the world. 

The One Who Walks With Us Every Mile

Some injuries to the body are visible
And therefore are easily fixable.
Some people suffer from illnesses that are unseen
Inside their body but they keep going like a machine.

Some suffer from mental illness 
And deserve a caring hand in the stillness.
We are all walking battles in this life
That are unknown to others in our strife.

If we could walk a mile in someone else’s shoe
Then we would see their daily battle through their view.
We would see why their shoes are so worn out
And we would care for them more without a doubt.

But we can’t see the battles that people face every day,
As they walk the weary miles of their path along their way.
There is One who has walked every mile of our journey
Who has been there with us for every moment of stress and worry.

Jesus is always there walking with us every mile
And He is the reason that we can still wake up every day and smile.
He has felt our every pain and heartbreak we suffer through,
Because He suffered it all himself and His love for us is true.

The Takeaway: The next time we meet someone, it may help to remember that we don't know how many difficult miles they have walked or what burdens they are carrying today. A little kindness, patience, and compassion can go a long way. While we may never fully walk in another person's shoes, Jesus Christ understands every step of every journey. He knows the pain, the heartache, the fatigue, and the struggles that others cannot see. Because He has walked with us through every mile, we can turn to Him for understanding, strength, and comfort—and strive to extend that same compassion to those around us. 

Watch the YouTube short on this topic here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vdm_SRnDlJ8

Completely Known, Completely Loved

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

Backstory:
Each night before bed, I try to offer a prayer of gratitude. As I reflect on the blessings of the day, my thoughts often turn to something much greater than the things I have been given. I find myself overwhelmed by the reality that my Heavenly Father knows me perfectly—the good, the bad, the weaknesses, the mistakes, the fears, and the struggles—and yet He loves me completely. The more I think about the gift of Jesus Christ and His Atonement, the more grateful I become for a love that I cannot fully comprehend but deeply feel. 

Completely Known, Completely Loved

My dear Father in Heaven,
I love You without question.
I feel Your love with me through my day,
And feeling that amount of love is more than I can say.

Knowing that You love me so much
Helps me feel hope through Your Heavenly Touch.
But then I remember who I really am on the inside,
And I wonder why with me, You choose to reside.

Father, I am so flawed and weak 
That I don’t know why to me, You want to speak.
You know the thoughts and intents of my heart,
And You know that from You I never want to depart.

You love me so much that You sacrificed Your Beloved Son,
So that through Him, I can again be with You when this life is done.
I can’t imagine the amount of love You give to me,
But I can feel Your love every time I come to You on bended knee.

Please, Father, help me overcome all of my weaknesses that weigh me down 
Because I feel so flawed and overwhelmed that I think I might drown.
Even though I can’t imagine why You love me as much as You do,
Help me to feel hope in my soul so that I can see myself from Your Loving View.

The Takeaway: God's love is not based on our perfection. He knows us completely and loves us completely. Through Jesus Christ, our weaknesses, mistakes, and shortcomings do not have the final say. As we sincerely strive to repent, improve, and follow Him, His grace makes up the difference. Sometimes the greatest blessing to be grateful for is simply being loved by God.

Watch my YouTube short on this topic here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1ZGOPLbYMg

Walking the Race Together

/ Christine Maynor / 1 Comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

Backstory:
I recently heard an idea that touched my heart. Sometimes we wonder if we are enough or if we will ever measure up to who Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want us to become. We may see the distance between our imperfect selves and our perfect Savior and feel discouraged. But what if Jesus isn't standing far away at the finish line waiting for us to catch up? What if He is already beside us, walking with us through every step of our journey? As I have faced health challenges and difficult uphill climbs in my own life, I have found comfort in the thought that the Savior is not only cheering me on but helping me carry the burdens that sometimes feel too heavy to bear alone. 

Walking the Race Together

Imagine that you are walking by yourself in the race of life,
Some days the road seems so long and full of strife. 
On those hard days, you might feel like you are walking alone,
Because no one knows your struggles and you suffer on your own.

Then you have days when you wonder if you will ever measure up
Because you are so flawed and you need someone to fill your faith cup.
You are constantly walking up a steep mountain incline 
Because your burdens weigh you down and your hopes start to decline.

If you are in the midst of health challenges that no one can figure out,
And your mind starts to wonder and your faith starts to doubt.
You are so tired of constantly being misunderstood by your fellowmen
And you wonder if you can make it through one more day over again.

If you ever feel this way, just know that your worries and cares are known
By the One who can ease your burdens so you don’t have to carry them on your own.
He will help you up your steep mountain peak when you feel weak,
And He will provide the peace and the comfort you seek.

Just lean on your Savior’s capable shoulders when you need to,
And in this race called life, He will always walk right beside you.
He will cheer you on every step of the way
Because He loves you more than you could ever say.

The Takeaway: No matter how slow our progress may seem, Jesus Christ does not ask us to walk life's path alone. He walks beside us, strengthens us when we are weary, and carries us when we cannot go on by ourselves. We do not have to be perfect today. We simply need to keep walking with Him, one step at a time. 

Watch my YouTube short on this topic here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0Fjk9DGsjI

When Friends Carry Us

/ Christine Maynor / 1 Comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

Backstory:
In Mark 2, a paralyzed man could not get to Jesus on his own, so four faithful friends carried him on a mat through crowded streets to the house where Jesus was teaching. When they could not get through the crowd, they climbed onto the roof, opened it, and lowered their friend down before the Savior. Seeing their faith, Jesus healed the man, who rose, took up his bed, and walked home rejoicing. 

When Friends Carry Us

I was one of the friends of the paralyzed man that day,
And I couldn’t imagine going through life that way.
Growing up with my friend I knew some of his sorrow and pain,
Seeing all of us running felt in his heart like the pouring rain.

My friends and I had heard about a teacher and rabbi named Jesus,
Who had healed many from their physical infirmity or weakness.
One day we carried our paralyzed friend with the sun beating down,
But with the hope that my friend would be healed, we carried him to town.

There was such a crowd that we couldn’t get through,
But we felt that the message of this Jesus was true.
We had an idea to get on the roof of the house where Jesus taught,
We knew we had to act, and one of us had a thought.

We pulled back the tiles with a desperate strain,
We lowered our friend down to Jesus so that He could ease his pain.
Jesus paused His teaching and looked up at the three
And His healing power we could already see.

Then Jesus healed our friend who had never walked on his own,
And for once he felt like his worries and cares were known.
My friend jumped up and walked out of the house with joy in his heart,
And after that experience, my heart made a fresh new start.

The Takeaway: This story reminds us that sometimes we are the ones being carried, and sometimes we are the ones carrying others. Christ honors faith that refuses to give up. Though He may not always heal every earthly struggle immediately, He still heals hearts, strengthens weary souls, and helps us rise above fear, burdens, and pain. We were never meant to walk through life alone. 

Watch my YouTube short video on this topic here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Z8CLSgJxk

The Lesson of the Lilies

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.

Backstory:
While reflecting on the Savior’s words, “Consider the lilies of the field,” I began to think about how deeply nature testifies of God’s love. A wildflower growing quietly in a meadow may seem small or unnoticed to the world, yet Heavenly Father sees it, clothes it in beauty, and gives it purpose. If He notices the lilies, how much more does He notice His children? This writing grew from my love of finding God in nature and from the reminder that we do not need to prove our worth or compare ourselves with others. Like the lilies, we were created with divine purpose, and our value has always existed because we are beloved children of God. 

The Lesson of the Lilies

When you take a walk in nature you can see the beauties of this earth
And then maybe you can see yourself for your Divine Worth.
We can learn a lot looking at the wildflowers in a meadow,
They just bloom and grow in the sun’s warm, gentle glow.

They don’t worry about what other flowers think of them,
They just open up their buds and grow from their stem.
We shouldn’t be concerned what others think of us,
Instead we look toward the Savior, in whom we place our trust.

Flowers are beautiful just the way they are,
Brightening the meadow like a tiny, radiant star.
We don’t need to prove our worth to anyone
For we are deeply loved by the Father and the Son.

Flowers bloom where they are planted one season at a time
They don’t worry about tomorrow but they enjoy their prime.
We should enjoy every moment of every day
And trust Him to guide and light our way.

Our Loving Heavenly Father created this world for us to enjoy
Designed in His perfect love so we might have true joy.
We should trust in His plan for our lives while on this earth
And  if we see through His Heavenly Lens then we can know our Divine Worth.

The Takeaway: The lilies teach us to trust the Creator who knows us completely. We do not need to spend our lives comparing, striving to prove our worth, or fearing tomorrow. Heavenly Father already sees, knows, and loves us. Like the flowers of the field, we can grow where we are planted, bask in His light, and trust that we are precious in His sight. 

Watch my YouTube short on this topic here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UClpDl3pHww