Still I Rise

On May 28th 2014, the world lost Maya Angelou. She was an African-American author, poet, dancer, actress and singer. I knew her best as the author of

Still I Rise.

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may tread me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I'll rise.




Her poem is one of courage and strength. It inspired many people including myself. I wrote a similar piece called

"Soul and Spirit."

You can beat my body.

You can break my bones.

You can heave your insults.

You can throw your stones.

Still,I am bold and I am free.

You have not broken me.

You can chain my hands.

You can put me in a cell.

You can leave me in darkness.

You can cast your spell.

Still,I am bold and I am free.

You have not broken me.

You can point and you can stab.

You can call me the fool.

You can try as you will.

You can push and you can pull.

Still,I am bold and I am free.

You have not broken me.

You can deafen my ears.

You can make me blind.

You can kill my body.

You can poison my mind

Still,I am bold and I am free.

You have not broken me.

No beating can break me.

No chain or cell can hold me.

No biting words can cut me.

No grave can keep me.

I am soul,I am spirit.

I am bold and I am free.

I am soul,I am spirit.

You can never break me.

I believe we are soul and spirit. We are spiritual beings having a body experience. One day we will shed this earthly shell and live for eternity as we were meant to be.





There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another.There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.


So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 1 Corinthians 15:40-46


This is our hope. This is why we cannot be broken. This is why we rise.


Jesus died so we could live. He rose from the dead so we would be guaranteed to rise into eternal life. We deserve to perish. God can destroy both body and soul in hell, but God does not desire that we be destroyed. We deserve to be because we fail every day to love as he loves. We fail to obey his law of love. Rather than punish us, he punished his son. His son, Jesus, died so we could live, so we could rise.