A Poem About Recovery Hope and Change

Posted on January 20, 2021 by Justin Farley under Addiction, Mental Health, Personal Development, Poetry

No Matter

No matter how hard it is
to keep the fire burning,
no matter how many disappointments
have visited you without warning,
no matter how many different trials
you've sat through today,
though the verdict may be hard to swallow,
tomorrow, tomorrow's another day.
And it may seem impossible in this moment,
but in time you're going to be ok.
For when you wake tomorrow
a new sun will be on the rise,
and you'll find a mustard seed of hope
sprouting upon the ashes of yesterday's demise.

Justin Farley

Hello, everyone! I have recently published my first chapbook of Christian poems titled “A Voice in the Wilderness – A Chapbook of Poems about God”. This has been developed and polished over the past six months or so. I am happy with the final product and hope you find encouragement in the poems but also a validation that the spiritual life is not all sunshine and rainbows. We all struggle. We all have periods of questions and/or doubt. But it is the yearning that keeps us coming back for more and allows us to experience joy.
You can purchase either on Amazon or on my own bookstore (it is cheaper and has free shipping on my store) and is available on the Kindle and in paperback.
Amazon: Kindle Paperback
Inkspiration Books (my bookstore): Paperback
Thank you for your support!

Poem About Art Life and Vulnerability

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Justin Farley under Poetry

Pure Art

Pure art is fragile,
stitched together and held
by our dreams, joys, and struggles.
It is not perfect
for life is not perfect
and the truest art
reflects life as it is - 
imperfect, messy, 
yet full of possibility.

It is the imperfection that speaks
to our imperfect hearts,
assuring us that we too are beautiful
despite our flaws.
The artist knows that 
the harder perfection is sought after
the farther out of reach it becomes.
For the artist is human 
and so should their work - 
not messy. not sloppy. 
But real, raw, and pure.

Usually, the harder we try to perfect our art
the more harsh, cold, and lifeless it becomes.
Because pure art
invites us to embrace and love
ourselves and others
as the imperfect characters we are.
And that's why we love them. 

Justin Farley

Poem About Gratitude, Having a Positive Attitude and Blessings

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Justin Farley under Personal Development, Poetry, Spirituality

No Quarter

If I look, I'll find 1000 complaints,
but I've resolved to give no quarter to protest
when I've been so blessed
with gifts raining down from Heaven like manna.

If I find my vision
dull, dark, and gray
it's because I've chosen to stay
blind to how lucky I truly am.

Of course there's darkness.
But there's also an abundance of light
available when we keep our sight
fixed on our graces and gratitude.

Dark cloud, keep on moving. 
I'll no longer grant you quarter.
My attitude is back in order - 
my storehouse is far too full to harbor complaint. 

Justin Farley

Poem About Evangelism and the Great Commission

Posted on January 15, 2021 by Justin Farley under Poetry, Spirituality

Vessels of Love

We are all vessels of love -
jars filled with tealights,
made to cradle your flame
and bring it to the darkness.

Our failure is not in missing the mark
but in failing to believe 
we play a part
in the chapters of your story.

You've imparted more power to us
than we often see;
to your own you've given 
the keys to the kingdom.

And while sovereign,
you've set us free 
and called us to a life
beyond bending the knee.

We've been commissioned
to raise the banner 
and march to war
to the ends of the Earth

armed not with swords of shame,
nor arrows dipped in guilt,
nor tongues like battering rams
designed to beat down doors that are locked,

rather dazzled with something foreign,
alien, a splendor only heaven could impart;
You've given us the shield of the Spirit
and placed in our hands the lance of love,

ready to engage both friend and foe
for both are worthy of you
because the battle for that right
was waged and won long ago.

We are all vessels of love
to bring hope and hang a light,
to give the lost something to follow
on their cold, dark night.

Justin Farley

The Cloud of Unknowing A Poem on the Dark Night

Posted on January 14, 2021 by Justin Farley under Poetry, Spirituality

The Cloud of Unknowning

To be free from the desires of the mind
step out into the night,
outside of space and time.

Wear the darkness, clothed like a dress.
In your unknowning,
you're truly blessed.

What you seek lies farther than eyes can see - 
step after step
faith must lead.

Like a flower, like a seed,
in the darkness
is where roots feed.

We need not act but only be open to receive
gifts that are imparted
but which the mind is unable to perceive.

Justin Farley

Poem About Nature, Creation, and God

Posted on January 10, 2021 by Justin Farley under Poems On Nature, Poetry, Spirituality, Uncategorized

The Wonder of Creation

I'm not ashamed to admit
that I'm in love with creation - 
not for its own sake
but for what it tells me about you.

The mountains may move me,
my spirit may rest in the river's bed,
and the birds of the air may fill me with wonder
but all because their beauty
points beyond themselves
and leaves me gazing at the Master's hand,
awed by his artistry,
lulled by his love.

Nature is a sweet song,
a familiar melody on the tip of your tongue
whose origins you can't quite recall
until you join in the chorus
and with a bittersweet longing remember,
feeling the Spirit gather around you.
Your soul recognizes the mother
who birthed its existence...
the source of all love...
the source of all beauty...

We are all drawn to the wonder of creation
because it offers us a glimpse,
a taste of what's to come.
You feel eternal power in the forest.
You find something supernatural 
looking in the clear, cool stream.

So I'm not ashamed to admit
I'm in love with creation
because it's your work,
close to your heart,
and you love it
like any artist loves their work.

But most of all I love it
because I find you there,
because my heart hears you the loudest
among the pines and oaks of the forest,
swimming with the minnows of the creeks,
dancing with the fireflies in the summer skies,
and scurrying with the squirrels
up trees and jumping from limb to limb.

Justin Farley

Wandering – An Inspirational Poem

Posted on January 4, 2021 by Justin Farley under Personal Development, Poetry

Wandering

To stop wandering
is an act of the will.
For the heart of man
hates being tied and tethered.
But children wince
and hate the taste of medicine too.
It's often that which we most resist
that holds the most healing power.
Without a well for our talents
they spill out, 
soaked up by the dust,
and are never tasted by anyone
but the grave.

Justin Farley

Godly Christian Poem About Change Growth and New Beginnings

Posted on January 3, 2021 by Justin Farley under Personal Development, Poetry, Spirituality, Uncategorized

Seasons of Change

Changes of the heart take time.
Casked, slow to perfection 
like aged wine.
Wouldn't it be easier if the Divine
would just remake us overnight,
beamed up into heavenly experience
like a sublime, shinning light?
Yet, true growth comes from the fight.
For God always has his reasons,
just unknown to us
until we've wrestled with inner demons
over the course of many seasons.

Justin Farley

We’re all starting New Year’s resolutions and are gung-ho about making changes in our lives. But whether we want to get physically, mentally, or spiritually in shape, success often depends on our patience and expectations. It’s easy to create goals; it’s much harder to achieve them. We all know change takes time but still get frustrated because we want growth now. There’s a reason gyms are no longer crowded a few months into the year.

Long lasting change takes hard work and lots of hours. And that’s not a bad thing. Though it’s painful and irritating in the moment, the lessons we learn along the way give us so much more than just the end goal. We grow in ways we never thought possible with each challenge that we meet head on.

It’s no different in spiritual matters. Sometimes God allows us to go through trials and tribulations not because he likes to see us suffer but because he desires our growth and long-term joy. It is usually in those valleys of faith that we learn the most about ourselves – our strengths and weaknesses and how much we must rely upon God’s aid.

Cherish the journey.

When Sorrow Comes – A Poem

Posted on December 30, 2020 by Justin Farley under Poems On Nature, Poetry, Recovery, Spirituality

When Sorrow Comes

I'm old enough now
and have lived through
enough winters to know
that as you begin reaping joy
sorrow already begins to grow.

This life promises many harvests
but one crop it's certain to sow - 
that beyond the warmth of summer
comes the cold, winter snow.

It's not about protecting yourself
from the pangs of life
but what you trust in
when the harsh winds blow.

For I'm old enough now
and have lived through
enough winters to know
that after joy
sorrow will follow.

Justin Farley

Plucking Beauty – A Poem About Life and Eternity

Posted on November 5, 2020 by Justin Farley under Poetry, Spirituality

Plucking Beauty

I once plucked beauty
out of experience
serendipitously like wild flowers in the country,
delighting in what new joy
life was going to allow me to discover
and show off in vases upon my windowsill.

But my curiosity is stagnant
and often vanishes, jaded
over what I know I'll find -
that everything alive is already withering,
beautiful for an instant
but quickly crumbling to dust.

And yet, it is not beauty
that has changed.
It still shines as bright
as when the Logos called it
out of the void.
It is my limited vision,
this human decision
to make everything about me
and interpret the world
through selfish eyes.

In an instant gold is tarnished,
gifts become entitlements,
and beauty looses its brilliance
when it's used for self-indulgence.
I once looked for beauty
because I found you there.
You spoke to me out of your creation
like any great artist does.
Now I find myself tumbling off the path
and stumbling towards naturalism.

Beauty is not beautiful
because it is fleeting.
It does not speak to the human heart 
because it is temporary.
No. Beauty speaks because it's divine intuition,
nudging us towards the eternal reality,
reminding us that there is something
beyond the material world that 

Never dies,
Never withers,
Never decays,
Never says good-bye.

Life loses its luster
when our lives are reduced
to merely grains of sands
upon the beach of time.
The breath of God
resides within each one of us;
never lose sight of paradise.

-Justin Farley

Along the Barren Road

Christian Poetry and Poems About Life, Love, and Mental Illness

Category Archives: Poetry