Favorite poem

From a book called Poems That Touch The Heart

This, Too, Shall Pass Away

From an old Indian legend in which a king who suffered many hours of discouragement urged his courtiers to devise a motto, short enough to be engraved on a ring, which should be suitable alike in prosperiety and in adversity. After many suggestions, had been rejected his daughter offered an emerald bearing the inscription in Arabic, "This, too, will pass."
Said the poet:

Whate'er thou art, where'er thy footsteps stray,
Heed these wise words: This, too, shall pass away.
Oh, jewel sentence from the mine of truth!
What riches it contains for age or youth.
No stately epic, measured and sublime,
So comforts, or so counsels, for all time
As these few words. Go write them on your heart
And make them of your daily life a part.
Art thou in misery, brother? Then I pray
Be comforted! Thy grief shall pass away.
Art thou elated? Ah, be not too gay;
Temper thy joy; this, too, shall pass away.
Fame, glory, place and power,
They are but little baubles of the hour.
Thus, be not o'er proud,
Nor yet cast down; judge thou aright;
When skies are clear, expect the cloud;
In darkness, wait the coming light;
Whatever by thy fate today,
Remember, even this, shall pass away!

Adapted by Mr. Alexander from sources including Paul Hamilton Hayne, John Godfrey Saxe, Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

The reason this has stayed with me throughout many years is that I can wallow in my sorrows or I can pick myself up. I can turn to the Lord in times of trouble and pain. Not everything lasts forever, but His love. But, we can be overjoyous and become blindsided when trouble makes its way to our lives. So, there is caution to be had in both the pain and joy. It is all but a moment in our lives and nothing compared to eternity.

The Living Bible says
O my soul, don't be discouraged. Don't be upset. Expect God to act! For I know that I shall again have plenty of reason to praise him for all that he will do. His is my help! He is my God! - Psalm 42:11

So, God is the One we praise in times of joy. He will help us through our times of need. He may use others in our lives to help us. But, it is Him who helps us.

So many times I have tried to rely on my own strength, only to fall further than I already was. When I turned to the Savior, I found myself getting up. He may not have brought me to the "up" that I wanted or desired. He may have done it slower than I wanted Him to. But, He knew what I needed to learn along the way and He knew how long it would take to get to where He wanted me to be.

Today, I reflect on these thoughts and feel renewed in my spirit. I am in awe at His power and His wisdom. I hope others might feel the same. Because if He can use these words for any others to gain hope, He has used me to His glory. How awesome that would be.