Today’s lesson was on Yin-Yang, expressing the creative tensions that are part of life. This poem came out of our lesson’s discussion and needed to be expressed.HATE/FORGIVENESS
It’s so easy to hate and hold lasting grievances
When we are deeply hurt, but that only doubles
The pain of the original offense as we hurt ourselves
Every time we express anger. How difficult to change
Rejection into forgiveness, to look past the harmful act,
See the hurting person who furled the insult at us,
Brought our world to a stop by their labels or misbehavior
Unjustly and unlovingly thrown in our pathway
We don’t have to accept their judgments of us
Only God can judge us or them, we are here to love,
Support and help each other on our journeys
The shield of self defense only says that we acknowledge
There is validity in their criticisms, defending ourselves
When we need not, drains our energies, better to say…
“Forgive them. Father, for they know not what they do”
As our Savior exclaimed, while hanging on the cross