Christian poem 'Eight Steps to Heaven' by Tamela Roush (Christart.com)

Eight Steps to Heaven
by Tamela Roush © 2005

The eight steps above you really need to know
To gain entrance into heaven and your life is the show
Let’s begin with Faith do you have any doubts
If you fail on this one the rest are all left out
What faith means is to have trust in Jesus Christ above
In good times or in bad or when push comes to shove
And then you add the Virtue on top of all that Faith
It means courage and it means strength if you’re to run this race
Most folks do not think of a race from start to end
Their strength can sometimes weaken
and their courage somewhat dims
And then you add the Knowledge on top of all the Virtue
Which means a clear perception of what you have to do
This knowledge comes in many forms that we put our hands to
It’s all about the learning what we teach our minds to do
Self-control is next on top of having Knowledge
Discipline and strength of will you don’t get that from college
Control yourself from things you know that you don’t need
What you want and what you get seems is the choice of deed
Perseverance comes next - on top of Self-control
It means determination in getting to your goal
Most folks undermine various thoughts that they first had
And let things slide along the path because something went bad
Godliness is next - on top of Perseverance
It means being devoted no matter the appearance
When being with folks who do not believe in God’s salvation
Presenting yourself as Christian is hard for some relations
Brotherly Kindness comes next – on top of Godliness
And what that means is helpfulness to one’s unhappiness
Although one tries your patience over and over again
The best thing you can do for them is try to understand
Then last not least comes Love - on top of Brotherly Kindness
It’s what life’s all about it’s the love we find in Jesus
Love might be the hardest one that keeps us out of heaven
But to get to eight you have to understand the other seven