Forgiveness – Woodsmoke and Cardamom

Prayer for a Rainy Day

by Lucy M. Young

Oh, hear my prayer this rainy day
And answer it, dear Lord, I pray.
The cold, gray clouds and dripping skies
Have hidden the sunshine from my eyes.

Forgive my pessimism, Lord,
Remind me of Your sacred word.
I can't be gloomy if I say,
"Dear Lord, I thank You for this day."

"This is the day that the Lord has made."
Gloom and sadness all must fade.
"Let us rejoice and be glad in it."
And make the most of every minute.

The Lord sends rain as well as sun;
His blessings fall on everyone.
Let me greet each hour with a cheerful song
And a smile to help the day along.

Father, Forgive Me

by Lucy M. Young

Father, forgive me.
I'm so tired of constant pain and weakness,
Trying to accept it without question,
Striving to be grateful for what I'm capable of doing
And wish for nothing more.
But, Father, there is so much to be done
And I've no strength to do it.

Pain rules my life and everything I do.
I want to work,
I want to put my house and life in order,
But pain and weakness force inaction on me.
My faith is weakening.
Forgive me, Father.
Strengthen me.
Help me to overcome the things that drag me down -
Self-pity, doubt, ineptitude and anger at my lot in life.
Hold me up.
Help me forget myself completely and ignore my pain.
Forgive my weakness and despair.
Guide my faltering footsteps through this day.
Eliminate my doubt,
And fill my heart with gratitude for Your unfailing love.

Your Will Be Done

by Lucy M. Young

Father, You know my dearest wish -
To walk in comfort, free of the pain that holds me in its grasp.
You know how much I've prayed for sweet release -
At first with faith in quick deliverance,
Later with hope,
Hardly daring to believe I could be freed.

At times I've been so angry with You, Lord.
Forgive me.
I've wept in my despair and tried to bargain;
But now my tears are dried I am resigned -
Your will be done;
And if it be my lot in life to live with pain
So be it,
Only grant me strength to bear it with a smile,
And quietly without complaint accept my cross.

Teach Us to Forgive

by Lucy M. Young

Lord, teach us to forgive
For only by forgiving can we ever hope
To be forgiven,
Or find the peace of mind and heart we need
To go on living.
Only if we're able to forgive
Can we truly love each other as You asked.

I thank you, Lord,
For helping me forgive a friend
Who hurt me deeply long ago.
For many wasted years I bore ill will and anger.
It festered in my mind
And grew to such proportions
That my entire life was tainted and controlled
By bitterness and cynicism.

Then one glad day You softly spoke to me
And I forgave my friend.
A cruel weight was lifted from my heart.
My soul was flooded with such peace and joy
The world looked beautiful to me again.
My mind and heart and soul were cleansed
And I was free once more
To live and love and serve.

I thank you, Lord, for teaching me forgiveness.

Dear Lord, Forgive Me

by Lucy M. Young

For all the bad mistakes I've made,
For all the thoughtless words I've said,
For all the selfish prayers I've prayed,
Dear Lord, forgive me.

For taking Your precious name in vain,
For failing to see another's pain,
For working selfishly for gain,
Dear Lord, forgive me.

For questioning Your perfect will, 
For arguing when I should be still,
For failing some heart with joy to fill,
Dear Lord, forgive me.

For all my errant, sinful ways,
For wasted hours and empty days,
For angry thoughts and vengeful ways,
Dear Lord, forgive me.

For sins of which I'm unaware,
For pain I've caused someone to bear,
For ignorance, negligence, lack of care,
Dear Lord, forgive me.

To Help A Lonely Man

by Lucy M. Young

He's temperamental, hard to please,
Unreasonable and cranky;
He's always on the lookout for
Some form of hanky-panky.
Trusts no one, judges harshly,
Believes the worst of all,
His views are warped, his vision short,
His bitterness a wall
Around his sadly barren heart.
He does not understand
The joy of unselfish love,
Nor want a helping hand.

Dear Lord, watch over him I pray,
Forgive him, soothe and heal
His cold heart, his suspicious mind.
And teach him how to feel
Compassion and forgiveness.
Please show him how to love
And trust his friends and family,
And believe in Heaven above.
Then show me how to help him.
With You to lead the way,
We'll both find greater happiness
As You guide us day by day.

Words

by Lucy M. Young

"Sticks and stones may break my bones"
  But words can break my heart;
No hurt is worse than that inflicted
  By a verbal dart.

A broken bone will heal in time
  And leave no lingering pain;
The memory of a bruise will fade,
  No soreness will remain;

But a careless word or a vicious taunt
  Leaves pain too deep to heal;
And an angry cruel word once said
  Can never be repealed.

One day we all must give account
  For every spoken word
As we bow in final judgement
  Before our risen Lord.
  


photo by Samuel Martins on Unsplash

Forgive

by Lucy M. Young

So you were hurt by something someone did
Or didn't do?
By something someone said
Or didn't say?
Is that sufficient reason to divide a family,
Or break up a friendship?

Forgive -
For that is what our Saviour taught,
Forgive, and let the poison of bitterness and anger drain away.
Forgive -
And be released to freely live and love again.

We MUST forgive,
For only by forgiving can we ever hope to be ourselves forgiven.
Forgive the one who hurt you,
And let the sweetness of the Master's love flow through you,
Cleansing and refreshing heart and soul and mind,
And brightening every corner of your life.


photo by Lina Trochez on Unsplash