Madison Sanders Writes

I wrote this a few days ago on a notepad, and I think the order of a few pages got a little jumbled. I finally just decided to post it anyway. Is there anybody anywhere willing to say, "I am unashamed?  For this cause I live For this cause I die?" Is there anybody anywhere who will stand for the truth? Is there anybody anywhere who is tired of the status quo? Is there anybody willing to say, "I'll be different"?  I know my life is not my own. I know someone has to make that choice. Does anyone else know? ANYONE? Is there anyone willing to admit they have made mistakes? Is there anyone willing to admit they have strayed from the straight and narrow path? Is there anyone anywhere who will give up their position and title for the sake of a bigger purpose? Is there anyone anywhere more concerned with where they stand with Him than the numbers in their bank account? Is there anyone anywhere who cares? Not spouting rhetoric

Take in every moment. Soak up every second. Nothing is more beautiful than a child's heart. The innocence, the purity. It is soon lost. I won't regret the time that I've spent I won't take the back the words that's been said The memories made, the love shared Fills me up more than I dared to ask A child's love is pure It's untainted  It's stronger than most things I've seen in life It keeps giving no matter if you give back It doesn't question It is there With open arms With a longing to be shared Between you  Stop and listen if you dare You don't need to be so busy With the things of life Emails can wait Let the phone ring Your child is there in front of you But in the blink of an eye, that will change One day you'll wonder where the time went How did they go from a boy to man? What were you doing? Why didn't you see it? Why couldn't you realize the precious thing yo

Why do we dwell on the negative things? Why do we hold it all in? Each day is an opportunity to begin again Why do we ponder the what ifs, Letting the thoughts bounce around and take root in our head Why do we allow worry to creep in, Becoming a part of every conversation I wonder if I just don't know Why can't we let go? Why can't we trust? Why can't we see through the fog that He is holding us? He's never let us go He's never let us fall He won't start now Why not smile? Why not be happy? Life is too short to be worried and full of fear He said He's got you Why can't you trust His plan for you?

I don't want to just say words I don't want to go through the motions I don't wanna ask what would Jesus do And not change I am not satisfied I need more More of You to fill the empty places Put me on the Potter's wheel Mold me, make me Shape me, break me Until I'm more like You More like You I want to be like You in my thoughts I want to be like You with my words I need more  Ordinary's not enough Pull me in closer Let Your fire consume me Take away everything that's not of You I need more grace I need patience I need wisdom I'm through goin' 'round in circles I'm through straddling the fence I've decided this is the dividing line I don't care what others think I need more I'm dying of thirst I'm dying the way I am  God, save me Save me from myself I know I've said that before But it's a continual process I don't know everythin

Just a reminder. Freewriting is when you just write. There is no set way to do it. This DOES NOT mean that my writing is free to be taken by others. I want to make that clear. Oh, what a tangled web we weave That was a Shakespeare tragedy Now it is your reality. All of the lies and cover ups Have buried you Gone are the comforts you had grown accustomed to Why did you push that boundary? Why did you cross that line? Did you really think "I can get by with it this time?" What happened to you? What kind of sick, twisted fantasy did you have? So many questions left hanging in the air. Do you even know yourself? Maybe you stopped caring, Maybe you felt alone. I hope that cheap thrill was worth it because now you are caught. You can't run away. You can't escape the stares. Worst of all, you can't escape yourself. I know you are probably replaying every scene, Wishing and hoping it's all a bad dream. Sadly, t

Awaken me so that I can see Awaken my senses so that I can feel I am tired of thinking what I've seen is real Nothing is normal Awaken me to the reality  Open me so that I can be clean I've been blind I've been chained Confined to what I think is right Bound by my own shame Reveal the real Reveal my inward parts Get to the root Get to my heart Is it still beating? Is it full of life? Sometimes I wonder if it's just pumping because that's its function I want to live I want to be free Awaken me Awaken me Awaken me from my slumber Shake me from my stupor Show me who is real Show me what's worth living for

Quiet the voices that say you're not good enough Quiet the voices that say you don't measure up Stop entertaining those negative thoughts The ones that say you've hit a brick wall You can't go any farther You're stuck here Stop believing that Pull yourself out of that bad head space Look at all of the good things in your life Yes, time marches on Things change You've changed But realize that is not a bad thing You are wiser You are stronger now You wouldn't want to go back in time even if you could Because you wouldn't have the things you have now You wouldn't have the people you have in your life now Your heart wouldn't be as full Despite what others say and what you believe, you have made things happen You've turned your dreams into realities You are making a difference

I've been thinking about that song, Slow Fade by Casting Crowns for several days. You don't wake up one day and become blind to the things around you. You don't suddenly stop caring. It is a slow fade. You cross boundaries you know you shouldn't cross. You turn away when you should help. Choices are made that blur the lines of right and wrong. Choices that forever alter your course. So don't think it's strange when chaos starts happening all around you. Don't think it's strange when your life starts falling apart. It is happening because of things you said and did. The song says, "It's a slow fade when you give yourself away It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid When you give yourself away People never crumble in a day It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade." Little by little, you've compromised. Sacrificing truth for what is comfortable. T

What if we lived like we were dying? What if we savored every moment instead of complaining about the small things? What if we were more grateful? Someone I know recently passed away. Lovely things have been said about her. When I die, what will people say about me? What will I be remembered for? So often, we get bogged down with life. Things people say and do weigh heavier on us than they should. What if we made the choice to let go? I choose to let go of unrealistic expectations of myself and others. I choose to stop dwelling on things I can't change. I need to be more present in my life, not overanalyzing why people are the way they are. What would you do differently if you knew tomorrow was your last day? Would you be more patient? Would you throw caution to the wind? Would you abandon your scheduled routine? I think...no, I know the answer would be yes. Stop waiting for something to change. Stop waiting for the sun to come out. Life is meant to be lived NOW