Best Self Examination Poems
Sin is a revelation. It is God who shows us OUR sin. He also points to the BLOOD OF JESUS as the antidote. Sin is only seen to be SIN - against God - when He reveals it. Otherwise WE just talk of it as a wrong against a sibling. Or sin as an antisocial act, or an inconvenience, or a disability, or some such thing. I feed that is often the extent of the message if a ' social gosoel' - to be rid of sin as a hindrance to human relationships and progress. When God shows us sin we see how far we are from His values, His canon, His standards.
This is not a life of morbid self-examination. We do NOT walk WITH sin but we walk with JESUS. A scwe walk with Jesus in childlike faith and fellowship with Him, we can reverse the Cup that stopped running over for us. He who is LIGHT, with whom we are walking, will clearly show us what hi dering sin affects the flow into our Cups of Life.
God does not speak in terms of general condemnation, toward despair ... He speaks in simple, specific terms of actual sin/s in the PRESENT MOMENT (not past, future, etc). He speaks of that sin/s that is hi dering the inner witness of His Spirit in us.
I am using words of Norman Grubb, CONTINUOUS REVIVAL (CLC Publications, 1997. Pages 31 - 32). The poem I wrote about Kind David and Psalm 51 ( his repenting for adultery with Bathsheba) is the good news. God is ready to take us back in his arms, from the begging to any end, once we change our inclination to sin. David did, Peter did; Satan and Judas did not. ThanX Readers, shalom Shalom in Jesus the CHRIST. Amen
"There is strength in silence."
Anthony Douglas Williams
Nothing heard.
Such a deafening hush
can frighten some people.
Quiet has its intrinsic goodness.
Consider careless musicians
who ignore the rests in music.
Nothing said.
Ask a Quaker,
to explain the settled silence
which they practice in worship.
Listening for the still, small voice
can be a fruitful time of self-examination.
Nothing needed
except the curious word, Selah.
Selah is an expression often found
in the Psalms of King David.
Why is it used and what does it mean -
pause to ponder.
March 22, 2023
sponsor: Constance La France
contest: Writing Challenge - N Words
Out of blush, the sail is lifted by the sunset
On an icy fjord one winter day
Hope for a bright lantern
that lets you safely through
The coast is full of islets,
rocks and dangerous waters
What happens in between - it happens
Self examination, changes and choices
Standing in front of a challenge, a crossroads
A misty landscape
- how important can that be?
Blacklacquered nails navigate the situation
Frustration destroys calm
- becomes restless and irritated
Grasp unanswered questions
through generations, lives and experiences
There was no planned process
A giant step in the right direction
in rugged and unclear terrain
17/09/2019
Sun :) - A-L Andresen :)
Copyright © All Rights Reserved
Crossroads Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Silent One
2nd place in the contest
Everything is not what it seems.
Am I awake or is this a dream.
As I replay these thoughts in my mind,
I’m picking up the pieces traveling back in time.
The sunset on which I’m gazed.
What people do and say I’m never amazed.
The words that aren't heard,
Are the words most feared.
Things are not always as they appear to be.
No matter what you think you might see.
Our eyes alone will tell the truth,
But our actions and repeated history now that is our proof.
You ask what is deception?
To me it is our self-examination.
In my conscious I’m feeling guilty I got to know what I did.
After finding the substance to truth, it grounded me like a kid.
I got to save what’s left of my soul,
I cannot let this deceit win control.
The illusion that my insides see,
My faith allows me to be free.
I sought my destiny beyond my mind,
And without fate had hoped to find.
As I look in the mirror at my reflection,
I’m changing me completely without hesitation.
We live in a world they claim that its secure;
But this illness of deception has no cure.
Proverbs 6:16-19 No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who
utters lies shall continue before my eyes.
When the voices are silenced
And my mind is void of the tyrants
Only then will I be free
Only then will I able breathe
As for now, I lie awake
Thinking over every mistake
Pondering life and where it ends
Not looking through a rose colored lense
Pessimism tears my fragile being
The glass neither full nor empty from what I'm seeing
But rather it is shattered
Displaying that nothing really matters
There is not life is truly important to us
This life is a vessel, like a bus
Used To take us away later in death
Only important after our last breath
For then some "being" decides
Wear it is our soul shall reside
Be it earth, heaven or hell
Someone else will toll our bell
What is your assignment? Why are you here?
Do you know your purpose and are you prepared?
Many of us are lost and in a state of confusion
We don't know our purpose and have come to no conclusions
We need to realize that it's our attitude and relationship with Christ
Which will determine our altitude and our aptitude in this life
To not concede during seasons of chaos and destruction
To believe that God has our back with a heavenly production
To comprehend that the Lord God answers to no one
As He is the Creator of everything under the sun
To fully understand that God makes the final choice
Amen, so be it He has the final voice
And it does not matter how complex or crazy is the task
Your assignment is to do whatever the Lord God asks
And you don't have the luxury to participate in the decision
For God's plans are designed with heavenly precision
He knows what you're capable of and what you can endure
And He will fully equip you to do your assignment and more
Just have the spirit of excellence when getting the task done
As it will separate you from those who always cut and run
For the beauty of excellence highlights the ugliness of complacency
And complacency is the trait that God had no desire to see
A God sized assignment requires that you do your best
And with a God shaped attitude you will ace the test
But first and foremost do a true self examination
To see if you're still able to handle the situation
To now think critically and take a second look around
To see if you're still operating with all cylinders on the ground
And if a God sized shift must be made
A new horizon in your life will be laid
And every aspect in you will be rearranged
So that you can bring about true change
Never forget that the depth of your God relationship in this life
Will be the foundation of how you worship Christ
Just don't get it twisted by misunderstanding your assignment and your role
You can't replace God for you ain't got that kind of power nor control
Just pray that the Lord God finds favor in you
And that His grace and mercy will come pouring through
A God sized assignment requires a God shaped attitude
Just be excellent when doing the task that for you God did choose
Contemplating on my brevity,
I find sincerity in my integrity-
I’m a visionary with a muse so deep
I write with intensity.
Reflections and introspections
bring alleviation and deliberation-
My sedative is to be meditative,
as I get lost in thought and
concentration.
Introversion and deep illusion
bring me no concrete conclusion-
When I objectify and rectify
all I see is this delusion.
Inside I hide,
and outside I confide-
But when caught in
between realities,
I truly coincide.
Self-examination on my creation,
brings thoughts of intimidation-
But the bigger picture’s explanation,
gives light to this strange fascination.
I think I may try to live
another day of grace,
but you can tell I’m weak
from the lines upon my face.
I wonder if my depth is
deep enough to survive,
but I’m shallow and hallow,
for I cannot stay alive.
May 14, 2017
The truth has experienced a hard time these days
With alternative facts, distorted reality twittering in viscous ways
You would expect down right good sense to somehow prevail
As common sense is no longer common and seems to have gone to hell
Spin doctors and scandal adjusters are raking in billions
To present an alternative truth to the American millions
They are now attacking the press for speaking truth to power
And those in high positions have tried to fortify their towers
Narcissistic liars are now in control
I just pray that God watches over all of our souls
Now Jesus is the truth and Jesus is the Word
Just do not believe those political shysters no matter what you've heard
To be a fact checkers like those folks called Bereans
To read and search the Holy Scripture and not just believe what you're seeing
To see reality and call it what it be
To simply tell the truth without any discrepancy
To now be true to yourself with a self examination
To acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses with full explanation
No longer to let society whitewash facts and diminish your history
As a child of God you're a strong African American with your own story
The truth will set us free and we need to realize
That lies and falsehoods are like a Cracker Jacks box prize
Shiny on the outside pretty at first sight
But unlike the truth never to stay upright
One of the hardest things to deal with in life
Is when you're stuck in situations that cause nothing but strife
Unable to move from point a to point b
Unable to move out of abject poverty
Unable to have relationships that are beneficial and true
Unable to leave that environment which has seemed to have swallowed you
Now hating those who are progressing and moving ahead
With bitterness in your heart, angry and seeing red
Now a blind man was on the road a beggar named Bartimaeus
Stuck in his situation when he encountered the Lord Jesus
He was on the right road that day with a chance to change his situation
He was on the right road that day to receive a life altering transformation
Many of us allow our situations to overwhelm us and take control
Many of us stay in the same rut too afraid to think bold
Unwilling to spare some change in regards to our circumstances
Unwilling to get up and go out, unwilling to take chances
You can't blame no one but yourself if you stay stuck in your situation
You need to interrupt that vicious cycle if want true transformation
Bartimaeus interrupted the cycle of his tedious every day life
And when the opportunity arose he got bold
and called on Jesus the Lord Christ
Stepping out on faith Bartimaeus flipped the script
And in spite of others rebuking him towards Jesus he went
He was on the right road that day and in the right place
And in spite of his blindness and brokenness
he received Jesus's mercy and grace
Now when Jesus asked Bartimaeus of his needs and desires
It was a question of self examination and godly inspired
For God has a way of making us look inside ourselves to discover
What we need to be made whole and completely recovered
On the right road with God with the right attitude in mind
On the right road trusting in God and you will come to find
That God knows what you need to be made whole
As only God has the ability to heal your soul
On the right road ready to make a change in life
On the right road trusting in God and Jesus the Christ
con't ---->
You... and me were just a tease
Feel like I'm playing a putter from the black tees,
It used to be easy, like hitting off a tee...
Lust not love, we were deceived
That & my middle name is dishonesty
Truth, name a price, I'll pay any fee
Priceless, should've taken responsibility
Oh well... This pen is free therapy
A Bic scalpel, this is consciousness surgery...
An impatient patient seeking liberation...
No cerebral vacations, never ending self-examination
Do I give to give or with expectation of reciprocation?
Do I learn to understand or to show my education?
Do I talk with intent or in hope of validation?
Do I like what I like or do I seek confirmation?
Am I in it for immediate gratification or the duration?
Do I listen to hear or just idle til my turn in the conversation?
My life's 100% improvisation
Z.D.A, that's my abbreviation,
Study these lines, take notations,
I'm not real, just a hallucination...
*****************************
What if reality was a dream? And dreams were reality?
It ain't as strange as it seems...
A single consciousness stream...
I was blind but now I still can't see...
Yeah... I was blind but now I still can't see...
........... Will I ever be able to see?
Effective self-examination can be time-consuming
and painful, sometimes revealing that challenging
changes are required of me. These growing pains, even--
or perhaps especially—at my age, are necessary,
From "Contemplation"--posted in March '21
May 29, 2021
entered in the Liberum Divisa 6 Contest
Sponsor: Gregory Barden
If I knew I’d have but one last day upon this Earth
I’d look to the heavens and examine my life’s worth
Self examination would raise questions aplenty
And poor decisions I'd made, surely there would be many
In 24 hours, would there be time to set things right?
Could I ease my conscience and prepare to reach God’s light?
I’d start by recollecting each wrong that I had done
Each word I’d spoken in anger, every love I’d shunned
Apologies would come, letters from a dying heart
And tender calls to loved ones before I could depart
I’d visit my parents’ graves, lay wreaths at their headstones
Shed a few tears, recalling my happy childhood home
Then I’d visit my church, view Christ hanging on the cross
And offer repentance for opportunities lost
Before retiring, I would sing an uplifting hymn
By God’s “Amazing Grace,” let eternal life begin
It’s so important to practice what you preach
Although you might not realize you are at fault,
Self-examination appears to be beyond your reach.
Hypocrites are notoriously taken for a grain of salt
Seeing in others what you cannot see in yourself,
Although you might not realize you are at fault.
Take your Holy Bible down from its topmost shelf
Study the Sermon on the Mount and the Golden Rule
Seeing in others what you cannot see in yourself.
Being two-faced leaves you open to abject ridicule
Folks won’t give to your soliloquies much respect
Study the Sermon on the Mount and the Golden Rule.
Being double-tongued folks will have come to expect
Your words do not match your observable behavior,
Folks won’t give to your soliloquies much respect.
Please don’t try to manipulate by quoting the Savior
It’s so important to practice what you preach,
Your words do not match your observable behavior
Self-examination appears to be beyond your reach.
Written June 23, 2022
from all identical to nothing identical
many exceptions to no exceptions
eventually deduced from the above
all deductions being eventual
that to have a spirit there must be suffering
now for the latest in strong arm technology
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates
that 13,013 food industry workers lost limbs
or other body parts in 2002 or was that 1001 ha ha
could make the butcher into a holy man
a 19th century ideology will do that to you
what this nation needs for butt certain
is a political high colonic with legs akimbo
he was from a long line of puzzle junkies
the trailer trash intelligentsia
bleeders dwarfs and lap dance assassins
in from the cold but still shivering
his autonomous mind shallow in a good way
no you’re right that is not possible
his recliner chair was his best friend
growing old and senile and blind
sitting for hours in the back yard
thistle weeds growing up around his car seat
the sun finally warmed his wondering body
and chrome towing ball head
run off the road from self examination
wailing an alert outward in all directions
setting fire to news vans pissing on reporters
for keeping us blind and stupid
the only thing not hypothetical is right now
where they murder their own truth seekers
because the truth belongs to no one
yah they killed a lot of angels to get here
sure as the jitney starts and stops
but since the struggle is no longer for survival
that should tell you something
existence is apparently making a point
it's a tin can with a wire handle
God has mocked you a thousand times
well ding dong mock him back
and attain your victory through semiotics
you know the imperial rhetorical
more missing teeth every time
seeing two objects because you got two eyes
will work the hourglass to a standstill
his bruised face was a horrifying presence
basically I did it to make myself laugh
utilizing the latest Child of Defiance plug in
From "Engine of Didactic Beauty" available on Amazon
Artist Portfolio: http://walteralter.byethost32.com/
always questions always apprehensions
in the process of getting through this life
begins with stunning realization
there is more to this universe than I
flows through doubt and self-examination
into a struggle to simply get by
following rules truly all that there is
why not search for something much more than this
try to find meaning within existence
beyond the needs for basic subsistence
reach for some form of common human cause
beyond doubs tears fears and need for applause
seeking that which is right which is most wise
avoiding the urge to antagonize