The Eternal Flame Of Hope

by Jason Powell
One candle cannot burn all day,
One heart, one mind; will not exist forever.
But if love is introduced to the pair
Then hope will surely not despair.

Death creeps in at every waking moment;

Life blinds thee to the point of insanity.
But if love is introduced to the pair,
Then hope will surely not despair.

If love breeds hope, then hope breeds life;

And the fetter,
Which binds one’s soul together,
Can be broken by the flame of hope,
Which burns the candles of life and love.

For the two souls of life and death are more often than not,
In immense distraught.
But the shackles of despair and pain,
Can be broken by the flame of hope.

And if that flame burns throughout,

Then love and hope will coexist, no doubt.
Because, Death will shatter,
and Life will matter.

Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast,
it is not proud. It is not rude,
it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes
always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are
prophecies, they will cease; where there
are tongues, they will be stilled;
where there is knowledge, it will come to pass away.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
but when perfection comes,
the imperfect disappears.
When I was a child, I talked like a child,
I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.
When I became a man, I put childish ways
behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection;
then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part;
then I shall know fully, even as I am full known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.
NIV... I CORINTHIANS 13: 4-13

Faith

Faith begins by believing

in your heart that what is right
has a chance.
Faith is knowing in your heart
that good can overcome evil,
that the sun can shine
in a rainstorm.
Faith is peaceful
and comforting, because it
comes from within
where no one can invade
your private dreams.
Faith is not something
you can demand or command;
it is a result of commitment to belief.
Faith is believing in something
you can't see or hear,
something deep inside
that only you understand
and control.
Faith is trusting in yourself
enough to know that no matter
how things turn out,
you will make
the best of them.
by Beth Fagan Quinn

Hope

Hope is not the closing of your eyes

to the difficulty, the risk,
or the failure.
It is a trust that ...
If I fail now...
I shall not fail forever;
and if I am hurt,
I shall be healed.
It is a trust that
life is good,
love is powerful,
and the future is full of promise.
Anonymous