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. 

The Author Explains His Poem, Who Not To Blame

Every one of us goes through difficult times, even times of dark desperation, and it is for those people that I wrote this collection of poems so they may find hope and comfort.

Let me tell you about one of the poems in my book, Beyond These Dark Lands Are Edges of Joy.

Who Not to Blame, a Poem about the False One, is found on page 23 of Beyond These Dark Lands Are Edges of Joy.

TITLE
At first glance, the title looks straightforward. It is, Who Not to Blame, a Poem about the False One. You think it might be about identifying the right person or cause for a problem. The reader might think it answers the question of fault. The reader begins to contemplate that they blame the wrong parties for our suffering.

STRUCTURE
This poem is 24 lines long, and the lines are of various lengths. It has three different phases. The first establishes the issue of guilt. Lines 1 through 11 says,

Guilt
Sneaks in the back door
Of your suffering...

Then moves to the questioning that guilt puts you through.

The second phase of the poem declares grounds for guilt:

If your actions
Brought your suffering,
Then you would know it...

The final phase refers to Ancient Job, who suffered the loss of all he owned, his family, and even his health.

MESSAGE

Illustration for the poem, Who Not To Blame
from the Book Beyond These Dark Lands
Are Edges of Joy,
By A.E. Dozat © 2018

The message of this poem is understood through the reference to Ancient Job, a figure from the Old Testament.

The Bible tells how the Devil argued with God and claimed Job loved God only because God had blessed him, so the Devil took away all of Job's blessings, but Job never cursed God and continued to be faithful to God. In Job's case, no wrongdoing on his part caused his suffering; in the same way, we may experience evil without being at fault.

While we must not ignore guilt but should bring it to God and seek forgiveness through Christ, we should also be aware of false guilt that has no foundation in our actions. We should not belittle the pain in our lives but know when not to blame ourselves for it.

ILLUSTRATION
On the page with this poem is a drawing in pen of a road leading through a rolling wilderness landscape of rocky grasslands with a single tree beside the road.

VERSE
The verse that I choose to go with this poem is 1 Peter 1:7,
These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 1 Peter 1:7, NLT

Guilt 

Sneaks in the back door 

Of your suffering

Then follows you around

Like some shadow-man

In the night.

Guilt is like elevator music

Whispering doubtful words

Like, what did I do wrong?

Did I commit sin?

Why am I punished?

If your actions

Brought your suffering,

Then you would know it

And would not ask why.

But if like ancient Job

You have no fault

And if you ask, "Why?" 

Like ancient Job,

You may not get

An explanation.

And like Job 

Your pain is real,

But your guilt is not. 

There are times in life when we suffer, and in our suffering, we add unnecessary guilt. This poem gives comfort and hope during those times. You can read this poem in my book on page 23. To order a copy, see below.

To order this book from the printer at the wholesale price CLICK HERE 

© A.E. Dozat