A Creed to Live By

Don't determine your worth by comparing yourself with others.
It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Don't set your goals by what others deem important.
Only you know what is best for you.

Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart;
cling to them as you would your life, for without them life
is meaningless.

Don't let your life slip through your fingers
by living in the past or for the future.

By living your life ONE DAY AT A TIME
you will live all the days of your life.
Don't give up when you still have something to give.

Nothing is really over... until the moment you stop trying.

Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect;
it is this fragile thread that binds us to each other.

Don't be afraid to encounter risks,
It's by taking chances we learn how to be brave.

Don't shut LOVE out of your life
by saying it's impossible to find.

The quickest way to receive LOVE is to give LOVE,
the fastest way to lose LOVE is to hold it too tightly
and the best way to keep LOVE is to give it wings.

Don't dismiss your dreams.
To be without dreams is to be without HOPE;
To be without HOPE is to be without purpose.

Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only
WHERE YOU'VE BEEN -- but also -- WHERE YOU'RE GOING.

Life isn't a race, but......
IT'S A JOURNEY -- TO BE SAVORED EACH STEP OF THE WAY.

Author Unknown

Hope

Every night I look up
into the dark sky
Wondering when light will break
and shine down on our paths;
Bringing us together

Every night I look up
into the dark sky
Wondering if you are looking up too
and if our eyes have fallen
on the same bright star
That will soon shine down our paths;
Bringing us together

Tonight I looked up again
My heart leapt at the vast array of stars
I remembered Abraham as he looked up
and had faith enough to believe in the promise of a son
Becoming the father of many nations.

It seems great faith too is required of me now;
For as the years go by,
As the stars grow dimmer,
As the nights grow colder,
Will I have strength to hope against all hope?
Believing that the light will soon pierce
the darkness that surrounds
Bringing us together forever.

Author Unknown

Poisons of Shame

Sometimes I sit and wonder how my life got so screwed,
the drugs, the alcohol, the people been used.
At age fourteen, I was on the right track,
going to youth group, never conceived of doing crack.
My head held high for the Lord.
I would declare that people can't afford,
to walk through life without Him,
and lack forgiveness of their sin.
But little did I know,
that the devil wanted me so,
to do the things that God despises,
the things that the devil so aspires.
I took my first hit,
off a pot pipe and that was it.
It was escape for the pain hurt so bad,
so confused, I didn't even know I had.
That was that, I'd found my place,
I felt at ease, so showed my face.
From pot, to acid, to coke, to speed,
did it end just there? No, crack indeed.
As I filled up my body with the poisons of shame,
the feelings were churning and everyone was to blame.
Except for me of course, no way not me,
didn't want people to know the person I'd be.
If I acted myself, 'cause those feelings were bad,
as the drug use got worse, oh, so sad.
My mother said no, and I said yes.

The rebelling increased, my life was a mess.
Spent the next several years in a downward spiral,
searching for something, yet needing revival.
But never at all did the Lord leave my side,
just waiting for me to love and abide,
by His guidelines and rules meant to do one thing,
to protect us from pain, that can so badly sting.
Sin can leave scars, as it has done to me,
just by believing Satan's lie of, "taste it, you'll see."
Today I look back on my screwed up life,
the choices and decisions that led to strife.
And by the GRACE OF GOD, I am alive to say,
that I'm proud of who I am today.

Author Unknown

What's Hope?

Hope is knowing that a positive outcome awaits.

Hope is not only expecting a dream to come true,
but having a deep assurance that it's within
your reach.

Hope is saying you can.

Hope is knowing that you can improve and
that you always get better with practice.

Hope is knowing that you can achieve your goals
through hard work and persistence.

Hope is looking to the future with joy and
having an expectation of better things to come.

Hope is the knowledge that life is everlasting,
and that miracles happen every day.

Hope is something that never abandons you.
Even when your life is filled with sadness
and disappointment, a spark remains inside
to help you get through the rough times.

Hope is one of God's greatest gifts to you,
because it's the magic that inspires you to keep
trying, learning, loving, and living.

Author Unknown

You Still Have Hope

If you can look at the sun and smile,
then you still have hope.

If you can find beauty in the colors of
a small flower, then you still have hope.

If you can find pleasure in the movement
of a butterfly, then you still have hope.

If the smile of a child can still warm your heart,
then you still have hope.

If you can see the good in other people,
then you still have hope.

If the rain breaking on a roof top can still
lull you to sleep, then you still have hope.

If the sight of a rainbow still makes you stop and
stare in wonder, then you still have hope.

If the soft fur of a favored pet still feels pleasant
under your fingertips, then you still have hope.

If you meet new people with a trace of excitement
and optimism, then you still have hope.

If you give people the benefit of a doubt,
then you still have hope.

If you still offer your hand in friendship to others
that have touched your life, then you still have hope.

If receiving an unexpected card or letter still brings
a pleasant surprise, then you still have hope.

If the suffering of others still fills you with
pain and frustration, then you still have hope.

If you refuse to let a friendship die, or accept
that it must end, then you still have hope.

If you look forward to a time or place of
quiet and reflection, then you still have hope.

If you still buy the ornaments, put up the
Christmas tree or cook the turkey, then you still have hope.

If you still watch love stories or want the
endings to be happy, then you still have hope.

If you can look to the past and smile,
then you still have hope.

If, when faced with the bad, when told everything is futile,
you can still look up and end the conversation with the
phrase... "yeah....BUT.." then you still have hope.

Hope is such a marvelous thing. It bends, it twists, it
sometimes hides, but rarely does it break. It sustains us
when nothing else can. It gives us reason to continue and
courage to move ahead, when we tell ourselves we'd rather give in.

Hope puts a smile on our face when the heart cannot manage.
Hope puts our feet on the path when our eyes can not see it.
Hope moves us to act when our souls are confused of the direction.

Hope is a wonderful thing, something to be cherished and
nurtured, and something that will refresh us in return. And it
can be found in each of us, and it can bring light into the
darkest of places.

Never lose hope

Author Unknown