I made it through another year
That wasn’t very long.
I welcomed new with noisy cheer
In celebration’s throng.
I’m holding tight my memories
Of precious moments passed.
I hope to see more victories
So struggles will not last.
But trouble wasn’t left behind,
I’ll make more if there’s none.
It’s almost like I hit rewind
When all is said and done.
I’ll make mistakes I should have known
Were trouble from the start
And I’ll regret the seeds I’ve sown,
Now growing in my heart.
But still I know, each morning hence,
His mercy will be new
And when I’m short on common sense,
My God will see me through.
So as I plan the year ahead,
And dream of what may be,
I must ingest the words he said
And let them dwell in me.
The only hope I have for change
Is given, not attained,
By Holy Spirit’s interchange
When my resolve has waned.
For as my resolutions fail,
I’ll settle in routine.
When hopelessness and doubts assail,
He’s there to intervene.
I’ll go to God in humble prayer,
As Spirit intercedes.
I’ll lay it all before him there,
My worries, sins and needs.
For flesh is weak, but spirit soars,
Beyond this earthly realm;
To sail to not so distant shores
With Jesus at the helm.
So I will pray to God until
the end of my life’s span;
That by his grace, in me, he will
Complete what he began.
This poem won first place for the
January 2017 poetry contest