~Never Borrow Sorrow From Tomorrow

Deal only with the present,
never step into tommorrow,

For God asks us just to trust HIM
and to never borrow sorrow--

For the future is not ours to know,
and it may never be,

So let us live and give our best
and give it lavishly,

For to meet tommorrow's troubles
before they are even ours

Is to anticipate the Savior
and to doubt His All-wise powers.

So let us be content to solve
our problems one by one,

Asking nothing of tommorrow
except "Thy will be done."

~Helen Steiner Rice

~Unaware , We Pass Him By

On life's busy thoroughfares
We meet with angels unawares~

But we are too busy to listen or hear,
Too busy to sense that God is near,

Too busy to stop and recognize
The grief that lies in another's eyes.

Too busy to offer to help or share,
Too busy to sympathize or care,

Too busy to do the good things we should,
Telling ourselves we would if we could....

But life is too swift and the pace is too great
And we dare not pause for we might be late

For our next appointment, which means so much
We are willing to brush off the Savior's touch,

And we tell ourselves there will come a day
We will have more time to pause on our way...

But before we know it life's sun has set
And we've passed the Savior but never met,

For hurrying along life's thoroughfare
We passed Him by ad remained unaware

That within the very sight of our eye,
Unnoticed, the Son of God passed by.

~Helen Steiner Rice

~A Sure Way To A Happy Day

Happiness is something
we create in our mind,

It's not something we search for
and so seldom find--

It's just waking up
and beginning the day

By counting our blessings
and kneeling to pray--

It's giving up thoughts
that breed discontent

And accepting what comes
as a "gift heaven-sent" --

It's giving up wishing
for things we have not

And making the best of
whatever we've got --

It's knowing that life
is determined for us

And pursuing our tasks
without fret, lume, or fuss--

For it's by completing
what God gives us to do

That we find real contentment
and happiness too.

~Helen Steiner Rice

Heart Gifts: There's Sunshine In A Smile: ~After The Winter, God Sends The Spring

Heart Gifts: There's Sunshine In A Smile: ~After The Winter, God Sends The Spring: Springtime is a season of hope and joy and cheer, There's beauty all around us to see and touch and hear. So no matter how downhearted a...

~After The Winter, God Sends The Spring

Springtime is a season
of hope and joy and cheer,


There's beauty all around us
to see and touch and hear.

So no matter how downhearted
and discouraged we may be,

New hope is born when we behold
leaves budding on a tree,

Or when we see a timid flower
push through the frozen sod

And open wide in glad surprise
its petaled eyes to God.

For this is just God saying
"Lift up your eyes to Me,

And the bleakness of your spirit,
like the budding springtime tree,

Will lose its wintry darkness
and your heavy heart will sing"-

For God never sends the winter
without the joy of spring.

~Helen Steiner Rice

~The Difference Between "Drive" And "Driven"

There's a difference between "drive" and "driven" --
The one is selfish the other God-given.

For the driven man has but one goal,
Just worldly wealth and not riches of soul,

And daily he's spurred on to reach and attain
A higher position, more profit and gain,

Ambition and wealth become his great need
As daily he's driven by avarice and greed.

But, most blessed are they who use their drive
To work with zeal so all may survive,

For while they forfeit great personal gain,
Their work and their zeal are never in vain,

For they contribute to the whole human race,
And we cannot survive without growing in grace.

So help us, dear God to choose between
The driving forces that rule our routine

So we may make our purpose and goal
Not power and wealth but the growth of our soul.

And give us strength and drive and desire
To raise our standards and ethics higher

So all of us and not just a few
May live on earth as You want us to.

~Helen Steiner Rice

~Thank-You God, For Everything!

Thank You God, for everything-
the big things and the small-

For every good gift comes from God,
the giver of them all.

And all too often we accept
without any thanks or praise

The gifts God sends as blessings
each day in many ways.

And so at this Thanksgiving time
we offer up a prayer

To thank You, God for giving us
a lot more than our share.

Thank You for the miracles
we are much too blind to see,

And give us a new awareness
of our many gifts from Thee,

And help us to remember
that the key to life and living

Is to make each prayer a prayer of thanks
and every day "Thanksgiving".

~Helen Steiner Rice

~Spring Song

"The earth is the Lord's
and the fulness thereof"--

It speaks of His greatness
and sings of His love,

And the wonder and glory
of the first Easter morn,

Like the first Christmas night
when the Savior was born,

Are blended together
in symphonic splendor

And God with a voice
that is gentle and tender

Speaks to all hearts
attuned to His voice,

Bidding His listeners
to gladly rejoice,

For He who was born
to be crucified

Arose from the grave
to be glorified,

And the birds in the trees
and the flowers of spring

All join in proclaiming
this heavenly King.

~Helen Steiner Rice

~Birthdays Are A Gift From God

Where does time go in its endless flight--
Spring turns to fall and day to night.

And Birthdays come and birthdays go
And where they go we do not know

But God who planned our life on earth
And gave our mind and body birth

And then enclosed a living soul
With heaven as the spirits goal

Has given us the gift of choice
To follow that small inner voice

That speaks to us from year to year
Reminding us we've naught to fear,

For birthdays are a stepping-stone
To endless joys as yet unknown.

So fill each day with happy things
And may your burdens all take wings

And fly away and leave behind
Great joy of heart and peace of mind,

For birthdays are the gateway to
An endless life of joy for you

If you but pray from day to day
That He will show you the truth and the way.

~Helen Steiner Rice

~Prayers Are The Stairs To God

Prayers are the stairs
we must climb every day,

If we would reach God
there is no other way,

For we learn to know God
when we meet Him in prayer

And ask Him to lighten
our burden of care.

So start in the morning
and, though the way's steep,

Climb ever upward
'till your eyes close in sleep--

For Prayers are the stairs
that lead to the Lord,

And to meet Him in prayer
is the climber's reward.

~Helen Steiner Rice

~The Seasons of The Soul

Why am I cast down
and despondently sad

When I long to be happy
and joyous and glad?

Why is my heart heavy
with unfathomable weight

As I try to escape
this soul-saddened state?

I ask myself often,
"What makes life this way,
Why is the song silenced
in the heart that was gay?"

And then with God's help
it all becomes clear,

The soul has its seasons
just the same as the year--

I too must pass through
life's autumn of dying,

A desolate period
of heart-hurt and crying,

Followed by winter
in whose frostbitten hand

My heart is as frozen
as the snow-covered land.

Yes, we too must pass through
the seasons God sends,

Content in the knowledge
that everything ends.

And oh what a blessing
to know there are reasons

And to find that our soul
must, too, have its seasons--

Bounteous seasons
and barren ones too,

Times for rejoicing
and times to be blue--

But meeting these seasons
 of dark desolation

With strength that is born
of anticipation

That comes from knowing
that autumn-time sadness

Will surely be followed
by a springtime of gladness.

~Helen Steiner Rice

~Fathers Are Wonderful People

Fathers are wonderful people
too little understood,

And we do not sing their praises
as often as we should.

For somehow Father seems to be
the man who pays the bills,

While Mother binds up little hurts
and nurses all our ills.

And Father struggles daily
to live up to his image

As protector and provider
and "hero of the scrimmage,"

And perhaps that is the reason
we sometimes get the notion

That Fathers are not subject
to the thing we call emotion.

~Helen Steiner Rice

~Prayers Can't Be Answered Unless They Are Prayed

Life without purpose is barren indeed--
There can't be a harvest unless you plant seed,

There can't be attainment unless there's a goal,
And man's but a robot unless there's a soul.

If we send no ships out, no ships will come in,
And unless there's a contest, nobody can win,

For games can't be won unless they are played,
And prayers can't be answered unless they are prayed.

So whatever is wrong with your life today,
You'll find a solution if you kneel down and pray

Not just for pleasure, enjoyment, and health,
Not just for honors and prestige and wealth,

But pray for a purpose to make life worth living,
And pray for the joy of unselfish giving,

For great is your gladness and rich your reward
When you make your life's purpose the choice of the Lord.

~Helen Steiner Rice

The Gift of Friendship

Friendship is a priceless gift
That can't be bought or sold,

But its value is far greater
Than a mountain made of gold.

For gold is cold and lifeless,
It cannot see nor hear,

And in your times of trouble,
It is powerless to cheer.

It has no ears to listen,
No heart to understand.

It cannot bring you comfort
Or reach out a helping hand.


So when you ask God for a gift,
Be thankful that he sends,

Not diamonds, pearls, or riches,
But the love of a real, true friend. 

~Helen Steiner Rice 

~Before You Can Dry Another's Tears

Let me not love a Idle that's free
From the things that draw me close to Thee.

For how can I ever hope to heal
The wounds of others I do not feel?

If my eyes are dry and I never weep,
How do I know when the hurt is deep?

If my heart is cold and it never bleeds
How can I tell what my brother needs?

For when ears are deaf to the  beggar's plea
And we close our eyes and refuse to see

And we steel our hearts and harden our mind
And we count it a weakness whenever we're kind,

We are no longer following the Father's way
Or seeking His guidance from day to day--

For without crosses to carry and burdens to bear,
We dance through a life that is frothy and fair,

And chasing the rainbow we have no desire
For roads that are rough and realms that are higher.

So spare me no heartache or sorrow, dear Lord
For the heart that is hurt reaps the richest reward,

And God enters the heart that is broken with sorrow
As He opens the door to a brighter tommorrow,

For only through tears can we recognize
The suffering that lies in another's eyes.

~Helen Steiner Rice

~A Tribute To Daughters

Every home should have a daughter,
for there's nothing like a girl

To keep the world around her
in one continuous whirl.

She is soft and sweet and cuddly,
but she's also wise and smart,

She's a wondrous combination
of a mind and brain and heart.

And even in her baby days
she's just a born coquuette,

And anything she really wants
she manages to get,

For even at a tender age
she uses all her wishes,

And she can melt the hardest heart
with the sunshine of her smiles.

She starts out as a rosebud
with her beauty unrevealed,

Then through a happy childhood
her petals are unsealed....

She's soon a sweet girl graduate,
and then a blushing bride,

And then a lovely woman
as the rosebud opens wide...

And some day in the future,
if it be God's gracious will

She, too, will be a mother
and know that reverent thrill

That comes to every mother
whose heart is filled with love

When she beholds the "angel"
that God sent her from above,

And there would be no life at all
in this world or the other

Without a darling daughter
who, in turn, becomes a mother!

~Helen Steiner Rice

This Too -- Will Pass Away

If I can endure for this minute
whatever is happening to me,

No matter how heavy my heart is
or how dark the moment may be--

If I can remain calm and quiet
with all my world crashing about me,

Secure in the knowledge God loves me
when everyone else seems to doubt me-

If I can but keep on believing
what I know in my heart to be true,

That darkness will fade with the morning
and that this will pass away too--

Then nothing in life can defeat me
for as long as this knowledge remains

I can suffer whatever is happening
for I know God will break all the chains

That are binding me tight in the darkness
and trying to fill me with fear,

For there is no night without dawning,
and I know that my morning is near.

~Helen Steiner Rice

Spring Song

"The earth is the Lord's
and the fulness thereof" --

It speaks of His greatness
and sings of His love.

And the wonder and glory
of the first Easter morn,

Like the first Christmas night
when the Savior was born.

Are blended together
in symphonic splendor

And God with a voice
that is gentle and tender

Speaks to all hearts
attuned to His voice,

Bidding His listeners
to gladly rejoice,

For He who was born
to be crucified

Arose from the grave
to be glorified,

And the birds in the trees
and the flowers of  spring

All join in proclaiming
this heavenly King.

~Helen Steiner Rice

The Peace of Meditation

So we may know God better
and feel His quiet power.

Let us daily keep in silence
a meditation hour-

For to understand God's greatness
and to use His gifts each day

The soul must learn to meet Him
in a meditative way.

For our Father tells His children
that if they would know His will

They must seek Him in the silence
when all is calm and still....

For nature's greatest forces
are found in quiet things

Like softly falling snowflakes
drifting down on angel's wings

Or petals dropping soundlessly
from a lovely full-blown rose.

So God comes closest to us
when our souls are in repose.

So let us plan with prayerful care
to always allocate

A certain portion of each day
to be still and meditate,

For when everything is quiet
and we're lost in meditation,

Our soul is then preparing
for deeper dedication

That will make it wholly possible
to quietly endure

The violent world around us--
for in God we are secure.

~Helen Steiner Rice

Little Snowdrop

The world may never notice
If a Snowdrop doesn't bloom,
Or even pause to wonder
If the petals fall too soon.

But every life that ever forms,
Or ever comes to be,
Touches the world in some small way
For all eternity.

The little one we longed for
Was swiftly here and gone.
But the love that was then planted
Is a light that still shines on.

And though our arms are empty,
Our hearts know what to do.
For every beating of our hearts
Says that we love you.

~Author Unknown

Quit Supposin

Don't start your day by supposin'
   that trouble is just ahead,

It's better to stop supposin'
   and start with a prayer instead.

And make it a prayer of thanksgiving
   for the wonderful things God has wrought

Like the beautiful sunrise and sunset,
   God's gifts that are free and not bought.

For what is the use of supposin'
   the dire things that could happen to you

And worrying about some misfortune
   that seldom if every comes true.

But instead of just idle supposin'
   step forward to meet each new day

Secure in the knowledge God's near you
   to lead you each step of the way--

For supposin' the worst things will happen
   only helps to make them come true,

And you darken the bright, happy moments
   that the dear Lord has given to you.

So if you desire to be happy
   and get rid of the misery of dread

Just give up supposin' the worst things
   and look for the best things instead.

~Helen Steiner Rice

Prayer for the Young

Dear God,
I keep praying for the things I desire,

You tell me I'm selfish
and playing with fire--

It is hard to believe
I am selfish and vain,

My desires seem so real
and my needs seem so sane.

And yet You are wiser
and Your vision is wide

And You look down on me
and You see deep inside.

You know it's so easy
to change and distort,

And things that are evil
seem so harmless a sport.

Oh, teach me dear God,
to not rush ahead

But to pray for Your guidance
and to trust You instead,

For You know what I need
and that I'm only a slave

To the things that I want
and desire and cravel.

Oh, God in your mercy
look down on me now

And see in my heart
that I love You somehow,

Although in my rashness,
impatience, and greed,

I pray for the things
that I want and don't need--

And instead of a crown
please send me a cross

And teach me to know
that all gain is but loss,

And show me the way
to joy without end,

With You a my Father,
Redeemer, and Friend.

And send me the things
that are hardest to bear,

And keep me forever
safe in Your care.

~Helen Steiner Rice

Thank God for Little Things

~Thank You God for little things
that often come our way,

~The things we take for granted
but don't mention when we pray--

~The unexpected courtesy,
the thoughtful, kindly deed,

~A hand reached out to help us
in our time of sudden need--

~Oh, make us more aware, dear God,
of little daily graces

~That come to us with "sweet surprise"
from never-dreamed-of places.

~Helen Steiner Rice

Widen My Vision

God, open my eyes
so I may see
And feel Your presence
close to me.

Give me strength
for my stumbling feet
As I battle the crowd
on life's busy street,

And widen the vision
of my unseeing eyes
So in passing faces
I'll recoginze

Not just a stranger,
unloved and unknown,
But a friend with a heart
that is much like my own.

Give me perception
to make me aware
That scattered profusely
on life's thoroughfare

Are the very best gifts
that we daily pass by
As we look at the world
with an unseeing eye.

~Helen Steiner Rice

God's Jewels

We watch the rich and famous
bedecked in precious jewels,

Enjoying earthly pleasures,
defying moral rules --

And in our mood of discontent
we sink into despair

And long for earthly riches
and feel cheated of our share.

But stop these idle musings,
God has stored up for you

Treasures that are far beyond
earth's jewels and riches too,

For never, never discount
what God has promised man

If he will walk in meekness
and accept God's flawless plan--

For if we heed His teachings
as we journey through the years.

We'll find the richest jewels of all
are crystalized from tears.

~Helen Steiner Rice

Heart Gifts - Things

It's not the things that can be bought
that are life's richest treasure,
It's just the little "heart gifts"
that money cannot measure.

A cheerful smile, a friendly word,
a sympathetic nod
Are priceless little treasures
from the storehouse of our God.

They are the things that can't be bought
with silver or with gold,
For thoughtfulness and kindness
and love are never sold.

They are the priceless things in life
for which no one can pay,
And the giver finds rich recompense
in giving them away.

~Helen Steiner Rice

Heart Gifts - Prayers

Prayers are the stairs
we must climb every day,
If we would reach God
there is no other way,
For we learn to know God
when we meet Him in prayer
And ask Him to lighten
our burden of care.

So start in the morning
and, though the way's steep
Climb ever upward
till your eyes close in sleep--

For prayers are the stairs
that lead to the Lord,
And to meet Him in prayer
is the climber's reward.

--Helen Steiner Rice

There's Sunshine In A Smile

Life is a mixture
of sunshine and rain,

Laughter and pleasure,
teardrops and  pain.

All days can't be bright,
but it's certainly true.

There was never a cloud
the sun didn't shine through.

So just keep on smiling
whatever betide you.

Secure in the knowledge
God is always beside you.

And all of your burdens
will seem so much lighter-

For each time you smile
you will find it is true,

Somebody, somewhere
will smile back at you,

And nothing on earth
can make life more worthwhile

Than the sunshine and warmth
of a beautiful smile.

~Helen Steiner Rice