My Strength and My Defense

By Ignacio Haro

My Strength and My Defense reveals the authors thoughts and experiences on God and life, based on real-life events that helped shape his thinking and view of the world and religion. The writings draw on biblical teachings and classical literature for reference, based on the inspiration of the Paraclete.

In the work, the author endeavors to present to the reader insightful, intelligent perspectives on issues such as death, sin, faith, and reliance on God for our daily needsthings that affect our daily lives.

The book is intended to offer a sense of hope to the hopeless that through belief and faith in God and a choice to give your life to Jesus, life can get better.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490845128

Ignacio Haro

Ignacio Haro studied American and English literature at UCLA, earned an MBA degree, then began a master’s degree program in theology. Reflecting on his personal struggles and the difficulties of life in general, he sought a way to express what he and countless others have experienced, and he found this outlet through the power of words as a form of catharsis and to reach a wider audience who could find solace to their personal dilemmas through their empathy with the characters in the stories. His first book, My Strength and My Defense, is a collection of poems on his Christian faith and the role of God in his life. In this book, he addresses the themes of pain, trauma, suffering, loneliness, and the pursuit of a spiritual element in life through fictional short stories based in part on actual events.

Book preview

A Few Thoughts

Life happens. Many things are great, while many things are bad. However, it is my sincere belief that most things in life can be met and dealt with successfully with God on our side. People go through experiences that make them think about God and what it means to believe in Him, especially in a time of crisis. My conversion to Christianity led me to hitherto the best days of my life and the worst days of my life.

As I reflected on my life after my conversion, I thought long and hard about my selfishness and ostentatious pride prior to my encounter with spirituality. I had intellectualized the existence of a deity known as God, or the Lord, but never really thought about Him more than that or consciously walked with Him at any given time in my life. It was the case with me, as it is still with many brothers and sisters who claim to believe in God but do not take time to actually learn about Him or understand why they believe in Him at all.

These poems represent in part my struggles as an agnostic trying to understand the ways of the world and why things happen. For many years, I lived a life away from God; I lived a secular existence away from His kingdom. These poems also represent my endeavor to understand my life and purpose in this world. Growing up was an unpleasant experience for me, and many times I felt alone, morose, lost, and disconnected from society—and worse still, God. After my conversion I endeavored to truly connect with God for the first time in my life, and I thus engaged in countless hours of prayer, study, and fellowship. My faith was restored and I came to understand that it was the hand of God that carried me through all my experiences in life—good and bad, successes and failures—up until and beyond my spiritual renaissance. It was God’s grace and mercy that saved me from myself. It was His love that kept me warm through cold evenings. And it was His favor that brought me hope.

These poems also reflect my thoughts and feelings during various stages in my life—from the earliest notions about God through the death of loved ones, or through personal successes or crises that forced me to look inward, which would eventually lead to the circumcision of my own heart. They demonstrate a willingness on my part to wrestle with the idea of His existence and role in this universe, despite my doubt based on my own experiences and tearful witness to the ways of the world. I learned to forgive others and equally important, to forgive myself.

The mistakes in my life were all mine. I believe it was lack of faith in God and my overbearing pride which led me down a highway far from who I am and my purpose in this world, from true spirituality, and from being connected with the Lord. All this changed during my conversion to Christianity.

This work is therefore meant to hopefully inspire you, the reader, to seek God in your life as you