Is There Any Hope After You Have Messed up Your Life? Read this Poem

This is a poem from my book, THIS DAWN IS A PLACE OF HOPE.

WHY DID I WRITE THIS POEM

We all make bad or poor decisions and are trapped in regrettable situations, but hope exists. God has a plan and more than just a plan; He has a desire, a longing, and a loving aspiration for you. I wanted to give the reader hope that even though we mess things up, He wants it all to be a blessing. I wanted to say, "Yes, we make mistakes, but that is not the end; God's purpose for you has not changed, and His will for you is still for your best blessing." 

THE TITLE

YOUR DESTINATION is a phrase that suggests the ultimate end of a journey, but the point is not the ultimate end but the ultimate purpose. The subtitle that it is a Poem of the Wind-Maker reminds us that it is all about God. 

THE STRUCTURE

The poem is 24 lines long. Most of the lines in this poem are six beats, but a few are longer to emphasize different points.   

    YOUR DESTINATION

    A Poem of the Wind-Maker

    From before the first lights,

    God meant for you to be

    Like a beautiful ship

    With beauteous graceful lines.

    You should glide across seas

    To find the sunny ports.

    But your charts mislead you

    With vain calculations.

    Now your sails hang limp

    Like a useless ghost

    Over a stagnant sea.

    He who made the North Star

    Would be your true compass.

    He waits for you to trust in Him

    So that He Who Holds Winds,

    May send His steady breeze.

    Give to Him the tiller,

    And

    He will take you across

    The night cast starry waves

    To His harbor of joy,

    A place of rest and peace,

    And there you will always

    Face the dawn.

THE SCRIPTURE

Illustration for the Poem, Your Destination

As in all my poems, God's Word is at the heart of it. The scripture I chose to close this page was Psalm 73:26 

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26, ESV

THE ILLUSTRATION

I drew a picture of a bot in a harbor with the sun rising behind it and the Dawnstar in the sky. 

If you need encouragement or know someone who does, you should order a copy today. You will be glad to have this book.

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Does Anybody Believe In Me?

WE ALL HAVE TIMES WHEN...

We all have times when we feel misunderstood. Sometimes we feel that we will never be understood or known. So, we ask Does anyone believe in me?

I thought about that question and those feelings when I wrote the poem, YES, IT IS ABOUT YOU, A Poem of Because. It is in my book of poems BEYOND THESE DARK LANDS ARE EDGES OF JOY. A collection of poems of comfort and hope. 

THE TITLE

We are taught as children not to be selfish. Our modern culture says life is not about you but it is about community, service, family, and all those things that we must surrender our interest to and all our needs. But there are times when it is about you, and it is not selfishness, conceit, and vanity to think so.

If God loves you so much and sent His only Son to die for you to pay for your sins then it is about you 

THE STRUCTURE

All the poems in this book are short and this one is only 20 lines long.  It is comprised of a series of triplets each one starting with the phrase, "I believe you."  Though the phrase, "I believe you," is repeated several times and thus runs the risk of being redundant or boring, it builds up a rhythm that makes the last line more impactful. Each triplet has a statement of faith in the reader to experience different blessings.

YES, IT IS ABOUT YOU,

A Poem of Because 

I believe you 

Will get through this day

And have a tomorrow.

I believe you 

Will find God’s love,

His peace, and His joy.

I believe you 

Will become stronger,

And find hope and courage.

I believe you

Are an inspiration

And others will ask how.

I believe you

Will be a blessing

And people will be grateful

For you.

I believe you

Will rise far higher

Than ever before.

I believe 

That there are many

Who believe in you,

I only ask

That you believe.

THE MEANING

The meaning is simple. It is not that I believe in you but that you are believed in. Not only are you believed in you are believed in by many people. 

THE ILLUSTRATION

I used a very simple image of clouds and the rays of the sun. The dawn star which is a typification of Christ is in the upper left corner of the picture. 

Illustration for the Poem, 
Yes, It Is All About You

THE SCRIPTURE

The Bible verse that I chose for this poem is John 7:38. It is a verse that offers a promise that if we come to Him we will not only find fulfillment but we will be a fountain of blessings to other people. 

 

John 7:38 says,

Anyone who believes in Me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, 'Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’ John 7:38, NLT

I cannot tell you how true this poem is in my heart for you. I believe we all have potential and we all are capable of being a blessing to everyone around us. 

Does Anybody Care That You Are Having A Hard Time?

Does anybody care that you are going through a hard time and have to start over or rebuild?  

The book of poems, THIS DAWN IS A PLACE OF HOPE, opens with an answer to that question.

Here is the poem that introduces the book.

PROLOGUE

A Poem of My Why

I wish that I was there

Illustration from the Dedication Page
THIS DAWN 

When you fought the darkness 

To get to this place.

I wish I could be there

As you face this new day,

So I could hold your hand

And lend you my shoulder.

I would cheer each success

And weep for each defeat.

But I am far away,

So I send you these words;

They are my prayers, hopes, and

My well-wishes for you. 

I hope we meet someday,

And you give me a chance

To hear about this time

When His light cleared the darkness,

And you saw the great deeds,

The marvels and wonders 

Done in you,

By Him, who is 

The Dawn Star. *

*Revelation 22:16.

When I wrote this poem, I was trying to say that I care, I sympathize, I mourn, I would set my own feelings aside, and I would carry yours. I am not perfect, but Christ has given me a new life, and a big part of that life is to love others. I struggle with caring and not being selfish. I wish I was better- not for my own esteem but for your sake and for the sake of God who gave His Son for you and for me. 

Yes, I care, but not perfectly; still, I am trying. This book of poems is one thing I can do to show I care about you and to make a difference. 

This poem says there will be a time when your trials will be over,  

"...give me a chance

To hear about this time

When His light cleared the darkness,

And you saw the great deeds,

The marvels and wonders."

This time of your struggle will be over because God cares. He shows that He cares in a lot of ways, and one of them is through people.  

God offers a new beginning and a new life through Christ, who is figuratively referred to as the Dawn Star as the poem says in its concluding lines,

Done in you,

By Him, who is 

The Dawn Star. *

This poem is accompanied by the scripture from St.John's vision in Revelation, 

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” Revelation 22:16, NASB 

I feel that the idea of the bright morning star is a symbol of hope. So as I illustrated this book of poems, I put a star in each picture.

I hope you find someone in your life that cares. I pray God brings that person to you and that God shows His love to you through that person. I hope you find your new beginning and a new day. I would be honored to have some small part in it, so I wrote this book of poems hoping they offer some help. 

If you are interested in obtaining a copy of my book, THIS DAWN IS A PLACE OF HOPE, use the button below to purchase a copy directly from me. 

Blessings,

A. E. Dozat

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Where Can You Turn for Hope When You Are Living in Bad Times?

The news recently has been so discouraging, and every time you hear an update it gets worse.  Now the bad news is not about some faraway person or place it is increasingly personal. Where can you turn for hope?

I believe that there is a God who still loves you and is active in your life to bring you much blessing.  So I wrote this book of poems to encourage you when you are feeling that the world is getting dark around you.

Illustration for the
Poem, Patience

The message in this book of poems is a message that we all need to hear at different times in our lives. In many ways, it says that God is in charge of these difficult times and that He cares for you while you are going through times of discouragement.  It says that you will get through these times, and one of the purposes of God is to bless you when you do.

I believe, and I wrote it out in many ways in these poems, that you are coming to a time and place of good and blessing.  If I could say anything to you, it would be, do not give up, keep your eyes on God, and continue to trust in His goodness. You may not yet see the hope, but it is there, and it is bright.

I hope someday you read my book of poems, Through These Dark Lands Are Edges of Joy, it will encourage you. I have friends who tell me they read a poem a day for a time; others say that they sometimes read it through at a sitting- it takes less than an hour. And when they tell me that it encourages them and helps their faith, and then I feel very humble and grateful.

© A.E. Dozat 2020

Poems in Prison

A woman in Vermont was excited when she read this book of poems when she received it as a gift.

She believes it will inspire and give hope to some special people she knows. She volunteers in a correctional facility and the inmates often ask her to read the Bible to them.  She said that she will be bringing Beyond These Dark Lands Are Edges of Joy with her when she volunteers at the correctional facility and read from it as well.

I know she is going to have a lot of very interesting conversations.

Many poems in this book touch those who are incarcerated.  This book of poems gives hope and encourages people in their darkest times. It has a message of hope in God who is abundant in love and forgiveness.

This book offers a hope that is not just wishful thinking but based on the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible says that while we were still sinners Christ died for us and that any who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

I pray that the gospel explanation at the back of this book of poems will be used by the Lord to bring many to himself.

© A.E. Dozat 2019

The Poet Discusses His Poem, ASKING, From the Book, Beyond These Dark Lands.

The Poem, Asking, a Poem of the Second Answer, is found on page 25 of my book, Beyond These Dark Lands Are Edges of Joy.

I wrote this poem because I hoped it would encourage people in a certain way.

TITLE
The first part of the title is just the word, ASKING. When you are going through dark times, there are many questions you ask yourself and God. It was for those times that this poem was written.

The second part of the title is A Poem of the Second Answer. This is to make you think that we must keep on asking because there is more than the simple common answers that we at first find.

STRUCTURE
This poem is 25 lines long, and each line is four to six syllables long.

The first four lines introduce the question of "why?"
     "The question of "Why?"
     Is a heart-scream of pain."
Lines 5 through 10 acknowledges how hurtful our pain is.
Lines 11 through 17 tell us that pain is real, legitimate, and should be faced.
Lines 18 to the end tell us that there is another question to ask and it may be the most important.

The Fork in the Road
Illustration for the Poem Asking
from Beyond These Dark Lands
Are Edges of Joy

The overall style is blunt and straightforward.

MEANING
There are times in our lives when we are faced with pain, and that pain is so deep that it causes us to doubt God, life, and anything good. It is in those times that we ask the big questions. Pain starts a process in our lives and souls, but we must be sure it is only a start and that we do not stay in the place of pain. Sometimes we need to be intentional about moving on.

SCRIPTURE
The accompanying scripture is from Job, “The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.” Job 17:9, NLT

ILLUSTRATION
The illustration I drew for this poem is of a road going through the countryside, and the road divides in a fork going two opposite ways.

© A.E. Dozat 2019

The Poet Discusses A Poem From the Book Beyond These Dark Lands Are Edges Of Joy

When Battle Plans Go Bad, it is a poem on page 24 of my book, Beyond These Dark Lands Are Edges of Joy. If you are discouraged this book of poems will give you hope.

TITLE
The first part of the title, When Battle Plans Go Bad, tells you that this poem is about a struggle that does not turn out well. The second part of the title, A Poem of Success, turns it around. It has a suggestion that there is something about losing a battle that is successful or maybe it is perspective.
It makes you think that perhaps there is a success in our failures.

STRUCTURE
This poem is 24 lines long and each line is less than seven syllables long.
The first eight lines give a picture of the situation we often face
"You feel that
failure follows you
like a stalking hound"
But lines 9 through 17 turns our attention to God who knows your situation with understanding and a solution.

Illustration for a poem,
When Battle Plans Go Bad
From Beyond These Dark Lands
Are Edges of Joy,
© A.E Dozat 2018

Lines 18 through the end offers the hope of giving God your "broken life" and receiving His answer.

MEANING
This poem assures us that God knows your hurt and He already has a solution to your need. At the heart of this poem are the lines,
But God knows your mess.
He understands
And answers
With love,
Acceptance,
Atoning sacrifice,
And an empty tomb.

IMAGE
My drawing for this poem shows a scene of a road entering a landscape where a battle was fought. Broken swords and weapons litter the sides of the road.

This poem assures the reader that there is a victory ahead in spite of our failures.

I chose this scripture to accompany my poem.
“But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57, NLT

If you want to read this poem it is on page 24 of my book which you can purchase below.

© A.E. Dozat 2019