Learning From Dark Times
by Michael Doyle

God's creation is entrusted to humanity.
At times, this has been to our vanity.
Mistake after mistake has been made.
This is not to say we should walk afraid.

The Nephilim walked with us side by side
While evil ways became larger with our pride.
Only Noah and his family incurred God's favor
In the gut-wrenching times, no one could savor.

For nine hundred years, God had called us to repent,
Until at last, God could not abide nor relent.
Wickedness was found with very little exception,
Until Noah was called carry the earth to redemption.

We are tethered to the intent of fulfilling God's ways.
This is regardless of evil ruling in our days.
Called by the Lord, Noah built the ark.
It would allow mankind to sail through the dark.

In the hands of God, we surrender our souls,
Letting loose our fated need for keeping control.
Willingness to be a servant takes us quite far,
As long as we allow God to be our North Star.

When the storms are over, we maintain integrity.
It calls for us to be faithful to God's sovereignty.
It is by living our lives in humbling submission
That humanity finds its way to reach our redemption.

Baptism saves us from death symbolically from the grave,
All that the Lord calls for is the power to save.
Living in interesting times is a curse wrapped in a blessing,
The time we live in constantly leaves us as if we are guessing.

It has become far too casual to lose human life.
We live in troubled times filled with constant strife.
A lot is going on that calls for the need for discerning.
The messy life we're living calls for constant learning.

If we are to live right, it must be with vigilance.
The life around us requires the truest due diligence.
None of us views life from any point of perfection,
But we can walk forward by discerning right connection.

We stay true to Christ, despite living on the outside,
we are on the path of constantly learning in our stride.
Behind the doing of the saying, ride or die.
We do best by surrendering to God without questioning why.

(c) February 1, 2026   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved