Faith – Page 9 – Inspiration for the Mind, Body & Soul

Still I Rise

By Maya Angelou

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

This poem speaks to empowerment, courage and an unwavering conviction to never give up. When the world knocks you on your ass, you need to search within yourself and find the strength to rise again. No matter what adversity or uphill battle you face, you must carry within you a fire that cannot be extinguished and the courage to carry on when all else falls away.

Hope

A Poem of Hope

By: Catherine Pulsifer

When life is getting you down,
And you need a little hope.
Look deep down inside yourself,
And you’ll find the way to cope.

When life is getting you down,
And you need a little love.
Go to the person whom you are the closest,
As the rest they are above.

When life is getting you down,
And all you need is a laugh.
Find the friend that makes you smile,
They may even be your staff.

When life is getting you down,
Don’t allow it so.
Change the way you think of life,
And life will be better, you know.

When life is getting you down,
Take time to pray
Don’t allow yourself to frown
God will help you see the blessings of the day.

Sometimes life gets you down. Things don’t work out the way you planned − be it a job, relationship or some other aspect of life. It is at these times that you have to dig deep within yourself and find the strength to have faith and hope that things will get better. Don’t let life’s many upsets change you and your outlook on life.

Imaginary Conversation

Linda Pastan

You tell me to live each day
as if it were my last. This is in the kitchen
where before coffee I complain
of the day ahead—that obstacle race
of minutes and hours,
grocery stores and doctors.

But why the last? I ask. Why not
live each day as if it were the first—
all raw astonishment, Eve rubbing
her eyes awake that first morning,
the sun coming up
like an ingénue in the east?

You grind the coffee
with the small roar of a mind
trying to clear itself. I set
the table, glance out the window
where dew has baptized every
living surface.

Maybe we have been going about this all wrong. I mean, I’m guilty of trying to adhere to the old adage of “Live life to the fullest and live each day as if it were your last.” But, why not choose to live each day as if it were your first day on this Earth? To be enchanted by the Sun lighting up the sky or the wonder of waking up to a winter’s first snow blanketing the ground and everything surrounding it. Maybe we should embrace each day and all of life’s miracles with raw astonishment. . .to approach each day as if you’ve never experienced it before.

Dare to Dream

Dreams

~ Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

Dream. Imagine. Believe. In childhood, our minds are these creative little sponges that believe in infinite possibilities. But as we grow up and traverse adulthood, we bury that part of ourselves deep underneath the realities of the world – such as paying bills and navigating relationships. We forget how to dream, imagine and believe in a better tomorrow. But, what is life without daring to hope, dream and believe in the impossible? It is a barren existence. So, ask yourself, what are your hopes and dreams for tomorrow?

The Man Who Thinks He Can

~ Walter D. Wintle

If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don’t;
If you’d like to win, but think you can’t,
It’s almost a cinch you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost,
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow’s will,
It’s all in the state of mind.

If you think you’re outcasted, you are;
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

Where there is a will, there is a way. When you have faith in yourself, you will succeed in reaching your goals. It may not happen overnight and there may be a hundred no’s along the way. But when you believe that no mountain is insurmountable, you will succeed in making your dreams a reality no matter what curveballs life may throw your way.

Don’t Quit

Don’T Quit

~ Edgar Albert Guest

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
when the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
when the funds are low and the debts are high,
and you want to smile but you have to sigh,
when care is pressing you down a bit –
rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns.
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a fellow turns about
when he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow –
you may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than it seems to a faint and faltering man;

Often the struggler has given up
when he might have captured the victor’s cup;
and he learned too late when the night came down,
how close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out –
the silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
and when you never can tell how close you are,
it may be near when it seems afar;
so stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –
it’s when things seem worst, you must not quit.

When you feel like you are drowning and you have nothing left to give, you must hold on for just a little longer. Because the moment you throw in the towel is often the moment the tide will change directions, so you must find the strength to keep treading water even as the current threatens to overtake you. No matter how bad you want to quit. . .Never Give Up. Have faith that better days are coming.

Just One

~ Author Unknown

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey.
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what’s true,

One life can make a difference,
You see, it’s up to you!

Your life is truly a blank canvas. What you choose to create is up to you. You can choose to create a replica that blends in with the crowd. Or, you can choose to create a unique masterpiece that stands on its own. Never forget that one person, one life . . . one choice can change this world for the better.

He Gathers Every Teardrop

~ Author Unknown

Regardless of the circumstance,
Regardless of the fear,
Regardless of the pain we bear,
Regardless of the tear.

Our God is ever in control,
Performing as He should,
And He has promised in His Word
To work things for our good.

But as a loving Father would,
He sometimes lets us cry
To cleanse the hurt out of our heart,
To wash it from our eye.

Yet gently gathers the tears
Within His hands to stay
Until He turns them into pearls,
and gives them back someday.

God didn’t promise us a life free of pain and suffering. Instead, he promised that he would never forsake us. So, this means there will be times in life where we suffer unimaginable sorrow and devastation. But, it is during these moments when you are facing your darkest hour that you must have faith that God has a plan for you. Your pain has a purpose – your soul is being laid bare to prepare it for new love and joy that is coming your way. God is always in control. So, when your life begins spinning out of control, grab hold of God, our anchor, and have faith that better days are coming.

Don’t Look Back

~ Author Unknown

As you travel through life there are always those times
When decisions just have to be made,
When the choices are hard, and solutions seem scarce,
And the rain seems to soak your parade.

There are some situations where all you can do
Is simply let go and move on,
Gather your courage and choose a direction
That carries you toward a new dawn.

Perhaps you’ll find comfort in knowing your friends
Are supportive of all that you do,
And believe that whatever decisions you make,
They’ll be the right choices for you.

So keep putting one foot in front of the other,
And taking your life day by day…
There’s a brighter tomorrow that’s just down the road –
Don’t look back! You’re not going that way!

You can’t spend your life constantly second guessing decisions you made 5 minutes ago, 5 days ago or 5 years ago. What’s done is done. You can’t change what happened yesterday, but you can change what happens tomorrow because those pages of your story have yet to be written. So, instead of continually looking over your shoulder at the path you have already traveled, you must choose to look ahead toward the path that has yet to be broken.

This Too Shall Pass

~ Helen Steiner Rice

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 the 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 of 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.

When you are going through hell, it is so hard to imagine better days ahead. You feel broken and alone. It is in these moments that you need to focus on surviving the next minute, hour, day, week, and so on. As time progresses, you will begin to realize that the storm clouds will recede and even though you may be a little worse for wear, you will survive the storm. So, it is when you are at your lowest that you must have faith that no matter how long the night, the dawn will break.