Madison Sanders Writes

Grace. Such a word shrouded in mystery, but so necessary. Grace covers. Grace is extended when we feel as if we have nothing left to give. Grace is given when we are weak. Grace is for the broken. Grace is for those who are tired of running. Grace says, "Let me fill those empty places. Stop searching high and low. I am right here. Can't you see me?" I am in that extra hug from your child after a hard day at work. I am the soft response instead of angry words. I am your strength. Grace is the ability of God to do in us and through us what we can't do for ourselves.  Grace helps us to forgive. Grace is found in the quiet times as chaos screams loudly. Grace is measured by the innate things.  It is evident in your open arms. What does grace look like to you? What is grace? What does it do? How does it act? Grace is the ability to just be. No pretenses, no fluff. Grace is unashamed. Grace just simply is. Grace is the instinctive part of u

Graduation. A time of moving up and moving on. Graduation means you are moving. Graduation is a time of growth. You are finished with one phase and entering a new one. In graduation, you reflect on your accomplishments. You remember the pain, sweat, and tears that it took to get to this new place. Graduation means you have reached a new height. The sky is the limit. The only barrier to your progression is yourself. You can graduate to a new place, yet be stuck because of mindsets and old patterns of thinking. Graduation means advancement. It is a stepping stone on the path of greatness. Just because you've accomplished something doesn't mean you stop pursuing growth.  Lest you forget, you can't graduate without the help of others. All during life, people have planted seeds in you. As time passes, you meet other people who water them. You see yourself differently. Graduation also means improvement. You've adapted and adjusted so much you might feel like a rub

Everything was dark. Then, I spied a tiny yellow flower just beginning to bud. Its small leaves curled gently upward. It was such a stark contrast to the dreariness around it. I stopped and stared, enamored by its beauty. Awestruck by its strength. This little flower reminded me of the saying, "Life goes on." Even if things are bad, they won't be that way forever. The light will shine again. Growth will continue. Messes will be made and cleaned up. People will be born and people will die. It is the cycle of life. Stealing a second glance, I realized there were other flowers around the yellow beauty. It didn't take away from anything. I know that everything needs something supporting it to help it reach its fullest potential. I am thankful for the sunburst explosion. I see myself as that flower. People may count me out. I may not be seen, but in the midst of all the pain, I am coming out. My roots are firmly in the ground. New life is springing fort

If I looked at you through the eyes of love, I would swallow my pride If I looked at you through the eyes of love, I wouldn't judge If I looked at you through the eyes of love, I would see all of your broken pieces Love makes you whole Love is unrelenting Love covers In my quest to really see you, I would see that my love wouldn't be enough I'd have to mix it with grace and mercy If I looked at you through the eyes of love, I would release all of the hurt If I looked at you through the eyes of love, I would see that you did the best you could with what you had If I looked at you through eyes of love, I wouldn't scrutinize everything I wouldn't pick apart every word you ever said If I looked at you through eyes of love, my own shortcomings would be revealed I wouldn't be high on some pedestal; we'd be equal I've done things I'm not proud of. I've let anger rule me instead of love. If I looked at you throu

Recently, someone said something to me that wasn't true. They meant well in what they said, but it just wasn't true. I may be in a wheelchair, but I am still capable of doing things. If I can graduate high school with honors while on medicine and go to college (while still on medicine) and graduate with honors, I am physically fine.  Actually, I am doing great. I am not where I was five years ago. I am not only nearly as much medicine. I am stronger physically and mentally. Mama told me, "You just have to throw away the sticks." There's an old saying that goes, "Keep the hay and leave the sticks." It basically means to take all of the good things and leave the bad. I choose to focus on the good things this person said and "throw away the sticks." They didn't even know they said anything wrong. I am not going to get distracted and let that comment derail me. I am on a path. I might not know exactly where I'll end up, but I tr

To the ones who are dirty. Those who think they are out of reach of grace. They don't even try to hide what they have done. What's the use? It echoes in their mind, over and over. I am wretched. I don't deserve anything but pain. Beat me. Whip me. Spit in my face. I deserve it. I won't turn away. Nothing you could do to me could be worse than the pain I carry every day. You might see me in public and flinch. I don't want to be near him. I can't stand the sight of him. Is he human or just a pile of trash? I am here. I am breathing. But I feel invisible. Scratch that. I wish I was invisible. I no longer feel my heart beating. It is just a faint thud. The pain of this life has consumed me. I want to be rid of this weight. I am tired of living this way. It's the same routine day in and day out. I put on layers and layers hoping I can live. I am miserable this way. I want to shed the guilt. I am tired of the shame. I want to let the healing

Slow down. Take a look around you. The sun still comes up tomorrow.  Let go. Be free. You don't have to be weighed down. Take time to remember Take time to feel Take time to savor the moments It won't ever be like this again The good times fade But the memories last Hold on to all the good things Things change fast Slow down Laugh a little longer Walk a little slower I promise it won't hurt. Slow down Life can wait The world isn't going to come crashing down if you take a little time for yourself Slow down Love deeper Be slow to anger There's nothing to fear What are you afraid of? Why do you rush? Time goes by fast enough on itss own. Why all the fuss?

Letting go of what you see in the mirror Looking past what you see You are not who you're gonna be You're not broken You're not a failure You're not ugly You are a work in progress Created in His image In case you didn't know, He's not finished with you yet! You are beautiful He'll make something out of the mess Rising from the ashes Tall and proud You are strong You haven't quit You're making things happen Even if it's baby steps You don't climb a mountain in a second It takes time It takes work Persistance means seeing something through until the end Just keep pushing Just keep believing  Believing in yourself You can do it You already have You just can't see it The work is happening on the inside Little by little, you are learning to love yourself

I didn't really have anything to write about today, so I pulled from inspiration from things that I've seen and read today. When we were young, things seemed limitless. The world seemed so big. I thought I could do anything. If I fell, I got back up.  When we were young, our imagination soared. We were princesses, pirates, in charge of castles and forts. Best friends one day and hated each other the next. When we were young, time seemed to creep by. I couldn't wait to graduate middle school. Then, I couldn't wait to graduate high school. When we were young, we had no real problems. Everything was peachy. We laughed and played outside when Mama called us in at dusk. When we were young, we didn't have computers and iPhones. We caught fireflies or also known as lighting bugs. We ran until we were breathless. We planned our weekends around friends' birthdays and riding four-wheelers. When we were young, we didn't think about money. If we

Take me back to the place before the guilt and shame Take me me back to the time my heart was tender Take me back to the place before I was deceived by the lies Take me back  Take me back to the time when I was open Before I was closed off Before I put up walls Take me back to the time when things were simple Wish I could play some days over and over again Take me back to the time when I was free Nothing holdin' me Take me back Take me back  Pull me in Into the deep waters of life again Take me back to the life of the livin' Where we gave more than we took Holding hands and helping each other Smiling, laughing Loving tenderly Take me back to the time I knew myself Before the mirror got murky Before the joy dissipated from me Take me back I never want to leave I want to put down roots that can't be shaken I'm tired of running Tired of running from myself Not sure what I've been looking for

Shift. Movement. Tilting.  There is chaos at every turn. Things are uncertain. Why are people harming their own flesh and blood? There is a shift. You might not see it. You may be blinded by the problems looming in front of you. But it is happening. Little by little things have shifted. A downward spiral. A train that senses danger is near, but there is nowhere to go. Nowhere to land.  We've got off course. We've forsaken what is right. We have forgotten what is good. Evil lurks on every corner. And it's not hidden anymore. It's out in the light for everyone to see. Addiction. Pain. Turmoil. A push pull of sorts. Some want to do good, but they are pulled to the other side. It's because of the shift. It's the time and tide. There is a season for everything. This is the season of the shift. Which way will you go? There is no room for indecision. You must make a choice. When the dust settles, where will you be? Stop pretending. Find solid gr

I'm tired of people - especially Christians - using catch phrases. No one cares if your words rhyme. What I care about is power. What have you overcome? Don't tell me something that sounds good. That doesn't mean anything. We have so many preachers who have watered down what Jesus said. Stop with the palatable preaching! Enough tickling my ears. Tell me about what you've been through. And not just the same story over and over. What has God done for you recently? How are you growing?  "A ring by spring. God's gonna bless you if you give this amount. Your best life yet." It is all old. I want the fresh revelation from God. I want to hear what He's saying now. I wish that Christians would stop acting like robots. A lot of people are just going through the motions. I think a lot of times the reason people say the same thing over and over is because they have no real relationship with God. They have stopped seeking Him. They think God isn't sayin

What is success? Is it book and TV appearances? Is it having all of the material things? I think success is found when you are content. Success comes when you stop chasing after all of the accolades.  Success is being happy. Being happy with a little or a lot. People may not know my name, but every day I want to make someone else happy. That's it. Success is when you care about others more than yourself. Success is something much bigger than the number in your bank account. They say you've "made it" when you are a success. According to society, you are a success when you have accomplished something. Instead of making a name for yourself, how about doing something to care for the needy, the hopeless, the ones who are alone.  Success is spreading joy. Success is showing mercy. Success is forgiving others. Success is getting up when you've been knocked down. Success is shining despite the rain, rising above limitations. All of us who haven't quit,

In an effort to blog more, I am going to freewrite a little bit each day. Freewriting is when you just write for a short period of time, not worrying about punctuation or grammar. I will be mindful of those things, though because I know it helps everyone understand better. In freewriting, you don't have to stay on one topic. This is just what popped into my mind a few minutes ago. I haven't purposefully done this in awhile, so here it goes!! Emotions They twirl around. They bubble up. Sometimes they burst. Sometimes I wish I wouldn't have said something the way I said it. I can't take it back. I can't press rewind. I want to be more mindful of my emotions. Instead of letting them splatter out and fall wherever, I want to be careful with my words. Words are weighty. Words matter.  Emotions are a good thing, but they can be unpredictable. You can feel fine one minute and mad or frustrated the next. It's like a roller coaster.  I am in charge of how