If (you can keep your faith when all about you)

If you can keep your faith when all about you

Are losing theirs and demanding you do, too.

If you can trust in God when others deny Him

But not hate them for denying what is true.

If you can be despised and not give in to hatred,

Or being pressured choose not to compromise,

Or faced with fearful times not yield to fretting,

And hold fast to truth when barraged with lies.

 

If you can train your mind to biblical reason

When others chase the trending headlines of the day,

If you can listen first as God commanded,

And keep your anger and self-righteousness at bay.

If you can love when others call you foolish,

Or being talked about still hold your tongue,

And trust God to defend you in His timing,

And keep your zeal whether you are old or young.

 

If kings can rise and fall but you hold steady

And train your heart to press in to Christ alone,

If you can stand amidst the storm of clamor

And hear the Holy Spirit’s quiet tone.

If you can keep your heart and eyes wide open

And don your armor each and every morn,

And struck down, rise again with Jesus’ power,

And find strength in the joy of the Lord again reborn.

 

If you can know that daily you will struggle,

But trust Christ’s redemptive power makes you new,

If being forgiven you lavish out forgiveness,

And grounded on earth still maintain an eternal view,

If you can thrive in this far outpost of His glory,

But be eager to join Him in His Heaven, too,

Yours is effective fruitful life and favor,

God’s grace, love, and truth are made manifest in You.

 

 

(**With deep respect and admiration for Rudyard Kipling)

If (you can keep your faith when all about you) https://t.co/XNbrQYcF92 an If poem for these times. #Transitionofpower #Inauguration

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) January 20, 2017