Jesus said to turn the other cheek
He also said to forgive 7 times 70
Easy for Him to say
He was God
Or at least the son of God
How do I get to the place
Where I forgive those
Who disrespect me and malign me
Those who could care less about my feelings
Yet I still care about theirs
Why is forgiveness so hard
Why does it take so much out of you
Why is it easier to hold on to a grudge
Rather than to let it go
Am I doing something wrong
If it is true that we are to love others
As we love ourselves
And we stay mad at ourselves
For our misdeeds and misdoing
Is it realistic to easily forgive someone
If you extend the olive branch
Of friendship and kindness and forgiveness
And it is not returned
Should you really keep trying
Even if you feel it is a lost cause
Or will persistence win the day
With the honesty and sincerity of words
Be recognized and acknowledged
Followed by a reasonable attempt
To let bygones be bygones
Is this one of the famous battles
Between head and heart
With both having opposing views
But the same hold on your psyche
Neither winning, neither losing
Sometimes I wonder
If our lack of ability to forgive
Is truly more rooted in our
Bruised ego and hurt feelings
Perhaps the pain we feel is comforting
If I were to release my anger and my pain
Only to be knocked again
Who becomes the bigger fool
Me for trying
Or them for doing
I wish that such matters were as easy
As a game of tic-tac-toe
Or perhaps it is
Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose
Neither happens if you don’t take a chance
So I resolve to forgive
To be the bigger and better person
Give of myself as I would want others
To give to me
And perhaps this time everyone will win.
Chuck Smoot
September 1, 2002
4 comments:
Hey Estee, thanks for making an effort to share your thoughts on the post I wrote. Hope things are looking better on your side with regards to the whole Nuffnang thing.
Sometimes i also experience the same thing.. However, I believe that we reap what we sow, the question is WHEN? Maybe immediately, maybe long time from now.
Although I dun know you personally, but i feel that you are a smart girl with good heart. People may hurt you, but don't get upset too long. Stay strong, stay nice. All the best Estee! :)
the gift of forgiveness is not something that we take for granted by human nature... its a grace from God. bless u!
your former D blocker, WM.
I'm glad you liked it. Still weird to me to see that other people have gravitated to that poem, which I wrote primarily out of anger, but I am glad it resonates with people.
Chuck Smoot
Post a Comment