Favorite Poems of Hope by others

Back in 2004 I ran a contest that read as follows:

          There are times for all of us, when we face darkness that promises no end. Life is hard. Sometimes it gets so dark, we feel we can’t go on. It can’t be fixed this side of heaven. Dark night of the soul; we walk alone.
          As a Christian, I know that despair is an illusion that makes mockery of the truth - that God loves us totally and cares for all our needs. That heart-knowledge doesn’t change the hard emotional reality of taking up the cross and following Him down that hard road, though. So… how do we cope?

          For myself, I hate the pie-in-the-sky-by-&-by-when-I-die sort of sentimental fluff that is offered as hope by well-meaning Christians when we face tragedy. Such stuff, while true, does nothing to help me cope with the death of a child, a broken marriage, the physical suffering of someone I love. Christ never promised to take away our suffering when He suffered for us.

          So… here’s my challenge to you. Write a poem (old or new) that offers REAL hope I can hold onto when I despair. I want poetry I can read when I’m feeling despair, that will give me a lifeline to cling to, a pinpoint of light to look toward. You don’t have to take the pain away. I will be looking for something that keeps me going without minimizing the pain of now.
Be my Simon of Cyrene. Help me finish this work I’ve been given.



Thanks to the incredible generosity of the contest donors, there were 72,720 gift points left over after the awards. After long searching, I decided to donate them to

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for use in their gentle support offer to those who are struggling. May we all bring hope to this hopeless world!

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ID: 570476   (Rated: E) Deep Within  The empty need within can be reached and satisfied. by Vivian ╰☆╮

ID: 573424   (Rated: E) Heaven Waits  Life may become so difficult we wish to escape. by Vivian ╰☆╮