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Dec 2015 · 525
Empathy
Nicole Lacanilao Dec 2015
You should be over this by now.
What's wrong with you?
I ask myself repeatedly
Others tell me that too.

And then I hear from Him
The most important Voice of all.
I stumble again. I get up, then fall
But when my flesh fails
When my soul wails
He is the strength of my heart

When I feel as though no one understands
I recount the work of His hands
I read on what He has done
I cry out in desperation

Not forsaken, not unloved
As He feels what I feel
My broken heart, He does heal
He weeps when I weep
He dances over me
Singing with empathy
I'm here. I'm here
Is what I hear
Repeatedly

What is this pursuit of me?
When I'm unfaithful
He comes after me
I hold on to Him because
He empowers me.
Inspired by some Psalms
Nov 2015 · 576
This Time
Nicole Lacanilao Nov 2015
Render this time as sacred
More precious than gold
Render this time as valuable
A Life was sold

I speak of this time that I'd so easily trade
For that which is temporary
And those that so easily fade
This time that should be priceless
Because it was bought
And given to me

I want this time to be
More than just part of the routine
More than something to foresee
More than a task of that never-ending to do list.

I call the Giver of this time my Lord
But all the time for the mundane, I hoard
I see lordship but not for Him
I see lordship for me and to me
Selfishness at its epitome

So I bow my sorry head
Sorry for the life I've led
Where I chose to spend this time
All for me
When my God was not the priority

Grace, oh, grace I ask
From this time on
I choose to spend this time in light of eternity
quiet time, devotion, whatever you call it
Nov 2015 · 823
A Dialogue
Nicole Lacanilao Nov 2015
Son:
"I love You, O Lord, my strength,"
I cried at the remainder of life's length.
I will worship You forevermore.
Like eagles, on wings I will soar.
All by Your grace, I finished the race.
I'm seeing You, my Father, face to face.

Father:
Come, My son, come home
The life you lived, My glory shown
The loved ones you left behind
Are not without care. They're on My mind.
I've heard their prayers. I've seen their tears.
I am beyond their apprehensions and fears.
I am their God Who'll see them through
Just as I have been faithful to you.
A poem in memory of my cousin, Cholo Seva, who lived a life of love in awe of his God
April 19, 1976 - October 30, 2015

Psalm 18:1
Isaiah 40:31
2 Timothy 4:7
Isaiah 38:5

I miss him already.
Oct 2015 · 502
My Child
Nicole Lacanilao Oct 2015
My child, I rejoice over you with singing
With dancing, I take delight in you.
Every tear, I wiped while you were crying
With love, I saw you through

Go and speak. Go and tell.
Of how I redeemed you after you fell.
Fell into the depths of sin and shame
Fell into pride to lift up your name.

But My child, My love is greater still
Greater than your finite mind, soul, and will.
I pursued you with Love everlasting
Even if it entailed My Son dying

With Him you were raised
So I am greatly to be praised.
Every moment with Me is not a waste.
I am in your midst. I am mighty to save.
Sept 4, 2015
Kids Church Team Up

Inspired by Zephaniah 3:17
Aug 2015 · 442
Devotional
Nicole Lacanilao Aug 2015
I opened my eyes and saw many wondrous things:
The clouds at day and the stars at night,
The sea that spans the vast horizon,
Creation–He made with such delight.

And then I look at me: intricately woven,
Made with so much love,
Fashioned in the image of God above.
He knows me more than I know myself
The depths of my dark past, the whereabouts of the now,
Every detail of the distant future or what'll happen after now.

I stand mesmerized by that Love that cares about every detail of me
Even where I'll spend eternity.
Undeserving of that grace, that forgiveness, the blood that was shed on the cross,
I'm even more in awe of how this battle was not Love's loss.
He rose so I can rise. He conquered so I can conquer.

What better response can I do than share that Love and fall in worship too?
July 31, 2015
I was tasked to write a devotional for a leaders' meeting.
Psalm 8
Psalm 139
Psalm 100
Aug 2015 · 473
Dazed, Humbled, Amazed
Nicole Lacanilao Aug 2015
Dazed, I lie down on my bed
With so many thoughts racing through my head.
Am I loved? Do I matter?  Insecurities galore,
but here, You found me so broken. Waiting and wanting for more
More of what? That I didn’t know.
Until You made me realize that Your love upon me is what I need
and You will bestow

Humbled, I lied down in my bed
With so many thoughts racing through my head
Your love that You graciously lavished upon me
Is overwhelming.  How could this be?

Amazed, I lie down on my bed
With so many thoughts racing through my head.
You’re too much for my finite mind to ever comprehend
Thank You for the love that has no end.
May 22, 2012
Aug 2015 · 337
When There's Nothing To Do
Nicole Lacanilao Aug 2015
To myself, what am I doing?
I’m up at two in the morning.
I know that if I try to sleep,
To the land of dreams, I will take a leap.
But oh, here I am, awake and unsure
About the reason. I need a cure.
I think I’m done thinking of words that’ll rhyme.
Did you know that mothballs sublime?
One of my favorites because of the last two lines.

2nd Week of May 2012
Aug 2015 · 426
Oh, How Could This Be?
Nicole Lacanilao Aug 2015
Oh, how could this be
That a Man so perfect would die for me?
Considering all the sins I've made,
He died for them; He so willingly paid.

Oh, how could this be
That a Man so perfect would love me?
He relates with me in all His majesty and splendor
Oh, LORD, what more can I ask for?

Oh, how could this be
That a Man so perfect would show me mercy?
As undeserving as this,
I was nothing, nothing but sin.
But by His blood, I am cleansed,
And clothed with His righteousness

Oh, how could this be
That a Man so perfect would lavish His grace upon Me?
He's been so faithful through all these years
Guiding me through laughter and tears.

Oh, Jesus, thank You for Your acceptance
And for choosing me without resistance.
Oh, LORD, I can say that I am truly blessed.
Thank you for removing my sins as far as the east is from the west.
May 28, 2012
Aug 2015 · 371
Frustrations of a Poet
Nicole Lacanilao Aug 2015
I will not sleep until a poem I will write
Was what I promised myself last night
I woke up to the morning light
And a blank page was at my sight.

Oh, this is frustrating.
About what should I be writing?
Why can't the rhymes come to mind,
Or are the right words simply too hard to find?
June 30, 2012
Aug 2015 · 422
Provision
Nicole Lacanilao Aug 2015
There was a desire to give a certain amount,
But I lacked. No, wait! I must've lost count!
Counting... Yes, I was really short on cash.
How embarrassing of me, but I checked every stash.

I am aware that God will provide,
But do I cling to the promise,
And on Him do I fully abide?

I went through the motions that Sunday.
When a lady came to me with something to say.
The Lord told her that she had notes to give me.
I looked at her wide-eyed, filled with gratitude, filled with glee.

It was not just what I needed, but even more.
I can't imagine the blessings that are still in store!
God indeed works in wondrous ways.
Worry not about provision. That should always be the case!
July 3, 2012
Aug 2015 · 704
One of My Toughest Months
Nicole Lacanilao Aug 2015
Sometimes I just want walk, run, skip and crawl
Anything, I need to get away from it all.
With all that this world has to offer,
I could go insane. I tell you. I really could.
Hold on to God. I know I should.
Sometimes, though, it’s as if He is distant.
But He listens to my prayers at any instant.
His love for me, I can’t contain.
Believe me, He’s the only One Who keeps me sane.
July 8, 2012
Aug 2015 · 820
Rain and Tears
Nicole Lacanilao Aug 2015
This time there are no clouds to cry the bottled-up tears.
Frustrations, disappointments, and fears
Questions left unanswered
All my feelings have now been stirred.

Faithfully wait, hope, and trust
On God above, I know I must
Despite the confusion that this life brings
On no one else but Him, my soul clings
August 21, 2012
Aug 2015 · 283
Untitled
Nicole Lacanilao Aug 2015
Again and again, I questioned, 'when will this end?'
Not that i want it to, but this is just to good to be true.

On a day which remains unknown to me.
I'll see the point in all this.
How it happened.
And how it came to be.
Jamuary 20, 2013
Aug 2015 · 312
If I See Him
Nicole Lacanilao Aug 2015
I always tell myself
That if I see God today,
I'd hug Him so tight.
But then I realize
I'd be mesmerized
To attempt to come close.
His glory, His radiance
Will be too much for me.
Too much that I'd fall
Prostrate. In awe.
July 15, 2013
Aug 2015 · 639
Voices 2.0
Nicole Lacanilao Aug 2015
Tossing and turning as I lie on my bed
But all these voices are screaming in my head
Stop! Please stop! I want to sleep.
Slowly, subtly, all these thoughts linger and creep.

Voices of the past saying,
'You can't make it.'
Voices of failure saying,
'Not outstanding. Go back and sit.'

Lies of the enemy are clouding my brain
Without God, by now, I'd be insane.
I'm remembering my mistakes and all
Unpleasant memories, they make me feel small.

My mind is a battlefield
But my victory has been sealed
I know I'll get through this
Because He is faithful. I am His.
The voices I'd "hear" were not audible. They were racing thoughts that were so overwhelming. I felt like they were screaming at me.

I wrote this poem 4 days after I was diagnosed with clinical depression. Wow, I did get through it. What a faithful God.

— The End —