"I Will Go Confidently In The Direction Of My Dreams And Live The Life I've Imagined"

Dear God, when I am lonely and

Perhaps I feel Despair

Let not my ailing heart forget

That You hear every prayer

Remind me that no matter what

I do or fail to do

There still is hope for me as long

As I have faith in You

Let not my eyes be blinded by

Some folly I commit

But help me to regret my wrong

And to make up for it

Inspire me to put my fears

Upon a hidden shelf

And in the future never to

Be sorry for myself

Give me the restful sleep I need

Before another dawn

And bless me in the morning with

The courage to go on.

This poem was very inspiring to me. Hope it is for anybody reading this. This poem will mean something to you only if you understand the true meaning of it. It is about two birds, one caged and one free. It shows the differences between them. It talks about how a free bird is confident and a caged bird has fear. This can be applied to one’s own life. A child of two will not do what you want it to do. It will do what it wants to do. This is when one is like a free bird. As we grow older our minds develop into cages that restrict us. Clips are fastened on our wings and feet are tied, we are then helpless. We become nothing but caged birds that do nothing but sing of that time when we were free. If you are a child then you would have heard your parents tell you not to waste time during your childhood. They say time flies too quickly. This will not happen if you don’t let cage yourself. Maybe that was a little too much lecturing, but however old you are don’t let yourself be caged. Be free in your mind.

THE CAGED BIRD

    A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun’s rays
and dares to claim the sky.

    But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

    The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.

    The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.

    But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

    The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.

I will never give up
No matter what the odds are
No matter what people say
No matter how far
I will never give up

If I throw it away time after time
If I am one step behind try after try
If I miss dime after dime
I will never give up

Even when it seems all over
Even when no one else believes
Even when it seems I can go no further
I will never give up

For I know I have strength within
For I know I can persevere
For I know that I can win
I will never give up

Because it’s someone else’s fault
Because I am settling for good enough
Because I fear that I will fall short
I will never give up

There is so much I can still do
There is too much talent to waste
There is so much in me that I want you to see
I will never give up

Why squander all of my hard work and dedication
Why not show the world that I am fearless
Why quit when I still have the opportunity to go on
I will never give up

If I do, I will not be the best me that could live
If I do, I will never know what I am capable of
If I do, I am not giving the world all I can give
I will never give up!

I have usually found that when people gossip about me it usually makes me look good and the person gossiping about me look bad. Hahaha! ^_^

• If you have been a gossiper, confess this as sin and ask Christ to forgive you. “Repent” by turning in a new direction and surrendering your tongue to Christ, not to gossip or bad-mouth again (1 John 1:9, 1 Cor. 7:10).
• Keep your nose out of other people’s business.
• If you can’t say something good or encouraging about others, then keep your mouth shut (Eph. 4:29).
• Never criticize another person, except to their own face with an intent to help. Criticism can never be “constructive” if expressed to anyone else.
• If your “friends” start bad-mouthing others to you, stop them in their tracks -- refuse to be a partaker of their sins (1 Tim 5:22).
• Avoid association with persons who gossip (Prov. 20:19).
• Expose works of darkness by reporting gossip to the pastor that he may confront and offer correction. Gossip should be treated as any other vile sin (Eph. 5:11).

• Gossip is as sinful as murder and will suffer the same consequences unless there is repentance (Rom. 1:32).
• God holds you accountable to your words (Matt. 12:36-37).
• The person who gossips to you about others, also gossips to others about you.
• Gossip & slander disqualifies persons for spiritual leadership (1 Tim. 3:11, Jas. 3:2).
• Gossip often masks as pretentious concerns for others.
• Gossip often thrives upon secrecy. Where secrecy is removed, gossip is hampered.
• Gossip always contributes to a problem and never to a solution.
• Gossip always distorts and exaggerates, and is never a reliable source of truth.
• Those who gossip & slander are not in right fellowship with God (Rom. 1:28-32).
• Those who gossip rarely get answers to prayer, and often face persistent, unexplainable problems (Psalms 66:18, Prov. 21:23, Prov. 6:12-15).

Gossip is one of the most dangerous sins because it is so subtle and ambiguous -- many are unable to recognize it. Be on alert against gossip whenever you hear of “secret information” being circulated, or if you hear anyone else’s name is used in a conversation. Gossip exists whenever persons “talk about others” in less than a favorable way. The root of gossip is negativeness, judgementalism, slander, etc. Avoid associating with people who gossip “A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much” (Prov. 20:19). You probably remember the old saying: “If you can’t say something good about others, don’t say anything at all.” Wise advice if you wish to avoid sin.

Gossip often masquerades as “concern” for others. Rumors or gossip will seem more palatable if they first hide behind a pretentious expression of concern. “I hate to say anything about this to you, but I’m ’concerned’ about so and so.” At other times the gossiper will seek you out as their “confidante” to unload their “heavy heart” about their concerns. “I’m very troubled about so and so and I don’t know who else to talk to about it.” In reality, the gossip is not sincerely concerned about solving the problem, only in talking about it -- stirring it up. “A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends” (Prov. 16:28). A gossip thrives on the negative, the controversial, and the sensational. Any person who is genuinely concerned about solving a problem, will go and privately confront the person at the source and express their concern. Or else they should go privately to the pastor so he will do it.

The gossip is like a spider looking for a prey to lure into their trap of gossiping. They may confide to you secrets or their private concerns about other people. Perhaps in consolement, you may express your half-hearted agreement with their concerns, or you may even be enticed to confide your secret concerns to them. Consequently, the gossip will eventually repeat the process with someone else -- but next time, they will add your name as an endorsement of their private “issue,” and will eventually even disclose the secrets you shared to them. And on and on it goes.

There are times when people need to confide their own problems with a friend in the Lord. But avoid revealing anything to a person who gossips -- they can’t be trusted. “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret” (Prov. 11:13).