"If" ~ Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son! --- Rudyard Kipling

I've actually heard this poem before on "The Simpsons" (and yes, I know it's very peculiar) with Homer's dad quoting the last verses while Homer tries to stop him from betting all his inherited money. But anyways, to the poem. There is only one word to describe it.....

Beautiful.

There is no words to describe how Kipling described life spot on, how he describes the people around us despising us and hating us while we are here all alone and we have the choice to either freak out or keep our cool. But the most important thing about this poem is this: it's really asking you a question. What will you do when everybody around you leaves you? What will you do if you lose everything dear to you and start all over again? What do you do when everybody around you blames you for the bad stuff in their life? It just makes you think about what you will do, or maybe what you did.

I think the best par of this poem that I like is the first part (Dunno what you call it. Is it verse? Stanza?)

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

The way Kipling says it is just beautiful. Can we really keep our cool when everybody around us are blaming their troubles on us? Can we still keep our dignity and have faith in ourselves while others condemn us? But this is the sentence that caught me: If you can wait and not be tired by waiting. Now this one really caught my attention.

Many times I have heard how Christians fall back to their old ways and how some claim they are Christians and live like one too, only to be humiliated when their darkest and deepest secrets are revealed. Many times, the excuse for back sliding is impatience. "God told us His Son's coming back, but when!?" Now comes the sentence - or rather the question - the Kipling gives his readers: Can we wait...... and not be tired of waiting?

Can we really? Can I really? Can I wait for God's return and not complain like others do? Can I do His work faithfully and not complain about the people around me mocking me? Can I still love Him even though my closes friends despise me because of Him?

These questions came into my mind when reading this..... and it sure is important, even for a fourteen year old.

I've got my whole life ahead of me with God having big plans for me, filled with blessings. Question is: do I walk the way He chose for me, or do I turn away...... and miss His plan for me?

Can I not lie when everybody lies? Can I not hate when the whole world hates? Can I not be prideful in everything I do and, instead, be humble and have a contrite heart?

Can I?
Can I?

Can I?

It is beyond man's limit to be perfect.... But I'm not leaving this world without trying. I would strive to do the things said in the Bible, and even follow the examples this poem has given: to stay collected and cool while everybody hates you. To be patient. To be humble. Etc. Etc.....

Can I patiently wait for the train to come in the subway? Can I not lie when my closest friends do? Can I, when rebuked, be humble and receive it gladly? Can I, when my home and PS2 (boo hoo!) is taken away, hold on and have faith in the Father? Can I, if put in a high position, still be humble?

And so, I can apply this poem to the different aspects of my life, but a question still remains.....

Can I?