Words Spoken – A Poem
Each week in church, part of our service is the Order of Corporate Confession. Catholics confess their sins to a priest, but Lutherans confess their sinfulness corporately. The Order of Confession in our church includes a moment for silent reflection when we have an opportunity to speak to God silently to confess any individual sins of the past week. This past Sunday, during the time of silent reflection, this poem came to me.
Words Spoken
Words spoken
In haste
In weariness
Soon forgotten
By you who spoke
Words spoken
Over and over
In my mind
In my heart
Long remembered
By me who heard
Teach me Lord
To forgive and forget
Words spoken
Day by day
Seventy times seven
To infinity
To eternity
Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!”
Matthew 18:21-22 (NLT).
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I love how He brings poems to you. 🙂 And I love this poem and need it too. I start off with the best of intentions each day, to not say what doesn’t need said . . .but there is most always something that slips out in weariness and haste that I regret and must confess.
God bless you and your heart that yearns for Him!
Deb, I love that you took this poem from the opposite perspective as what I wrote it. For me, it was the failure to forgive something said to me that I have to learn to forgive, to not just hold onto my grudge. But I suspect there are things I’ve said that I need forgiven for, too. 🙁 Thanks for pointing out the other perspective. Peace, Linda
Thanks, Linda
“Teach me Lord
To forgive and forget
Words spoken
Day by day
Seventy times seven
To infinity
To eternity“
I so pray!
Blessings,
ann
Ann, I don’t know why it is so much harder to forgive the little, daily things people do than it is to forgive the big, one-time hurts. The ability to forgive is something I need to pray for every day. Without forgiveness, all is lost. Peace, Linda