A Poem About Forgiveness

I had messed up badly, and yes, I knew it

I had wanted to do the right thing, but I blew it

I asked God’s forgiveness for what I had done

And God responded and said to me “Son

You know that I love you and I always will

No matter what you do I’ll love you still

And your request for forgiveness has been heard

But getting forgiveness takes more than just saying the word”

“What else must I do?”  I asked in surprise

“’The all-forgiving God’ is how you’ve been advertised

I’ve asked for forgiveness, now you do your part.”

“I will,” replied God, “if your request comes from the heart.”

“What do you mean?”  I asked, perplexed

“I’ve made my request, what must I do next?”

God said, “It’s not a matter of what you must do.

It’s a matter of whether your request is true

Have you truly repented of your sin?

Will you do your best not to do it again?

Or are you just trying to get out of a pickle

So that your asking forgiveness is actually fickle?”

I was silent a moment.  I wasn’t so sure.

What was my motive?  Was it truly pure?

Was I really ready to change my ways?

Or was this forgiveness thing just a phase?

“I am ready,” I said.  “I’m ready to change.

There are things in my life I need to re-arrange.

“That’s good,” said the Lord, “I am happy for you.

But there’s still one thing more than I need you to do.

There are people in your life who have done you wrong

They’ve hurt you, betrayed you, and that hurt is still strong

You need to forgive how they’ve treated you, my son

Then I can forgive you for what you have done.”

“But God,” I said, “I’ve really been hurt

Some of those people treated me like dirt

And they’re not sorry, not a little, not at all

If they got the chance, they’d still make me feel small

I don’t want to forgive them, and even if I tried

I don’t think I could, I don’t have it inside.”

God said, “Well, you’re honest.  At least you’ve not lied

But it’s interesting that you mention what you feel inside

You said you’ve been hurt, and I know that’s true

And it’s hard to get past what’s been done to you

But when you think of those things, do you feel good or bad?”

I said, “It’s the worst feeling I’ve ever had.”

God said, “That’s why you need to let it go

Holding onto it is only hurting you so

I know it’s hard, but you can do it

Give it to Me, I’ll help you through it.

You need to forgive, not for the ones who hurt you there

The chances are they’ll never know or care

But you need to forgive for your own peace of mind

Then you can move forward and not look behind

You cannot control what other people say or do

The only person you can ever hope to control is you

And you can’t even do that all by yourself

But if you turn to Me, I’ll give you my help

With that you can put these things in the past

And then you can be at peace at last

But it’s your choice to make:  will you trust in Me?

Will you let go of the past, so you can be set free?

A happier future is yours to take

But it’s up to you:  What choice will you make?”