The Promise
When all now seems to be amiss
A Villanelle of Hope
When all now seems to be amiss,
And nothing in its proper place,
There still remains the promise.
The puzzle pieces fail to fit,
And lie across the jig saw’s face,
When all now seems to be amiss,
And no one understands the jist
Of what or who is in the game,
There still remains the promise.
As if the option to resist
Had suddenly been stripped away,
When all now seems to be amiss,
Our compass hopelessly adrift,
Foundations broken and displaced,
There still remains the promise.
When no sense can be made of it,
And hope has long been washed away,
When all now seems to be amiss,
There still remains the promise.
It is simultaneously of essential importance to understand that at the very moment when the possibility of despairing is revealed to man in all its horror, the light of hope is diffused in the human heart, through a reference to a trans-historical, eternal promise.- von Hildebrand, Dietrich; von Hildebrand, Alice. The Art of Living (p. 74). Hildebrand Press.
The image above, entitled Fear, by MO Bilbeisi, very clearly embodies the state many of us are in these days. Fear is overwhelming, washing sense and hope away if we cannot control it.
However, there is also an eternal Promise given to us that we will not be abandoned to this fear, darkness, death, and destruction.
In these times, our only choice is to trust the promise and keep moving.
Thank you for taking the time to read! We sincerely appreciate your support.
Copyright © 2025 Robert G. Metivier. All Rights Reserved.
Image: Copyright © 2025, Moh’d Bilbeisi. All Rights Reserved.
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Thanks for this encouragement
"In these times, our only choice is to trust the promise and keep moving."