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“Wilt thou forgive that sin where I begun,
Which was my sin, though it were done before?
“Wilt thou forgive that sin, through which I run,
And do run still, though still I do deplore?
“When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
For I have more.”
“Wilt thou forgive that sin which I have won
Others to sin, and made my sin their door?
“Wilt thou forgive that sin which I did shun
A year or two, but wallow’d in, a score?
“When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
For I have more.”
“I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun
My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;
“But swear by thyself, that at my death thy Son
Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore;
“And, having done that, thou hast done;
I fear no more.”
John Donnie – “A Hymn to God the Father”
I was first exposed to this beautiful piece of poetry in high school, and it still moves me deeply. Donne was a master of expressing universal human emotion from a Christian perspective.
Yes, we are afraid of falling short, and yes, God deserves our best – but don’t forget the balance of the equation: Christ died for our unrighteousness. Therefore we receive God’s riches at Christ’s expense, and that, my friends, is called grace.
Patricia says
God’s love is beautiful.
Thank you for sharing this poem ❤️
Pam says
I remember reading this when I was in school. Absolutely beautifully written, and so much truth. Thanks for reminding me of this work of a fellow believer. ❤️
Gwen says
Absolutely beautiful….prose and pictures! Your acronym is quite clever, I added that to my scripture journal. Thank you. You are such a breath of spring. May God continue to bless you.
Briana Thomas says
The acronym wasn’t original with me. 🙂 But I’m glad you enjoyed it! I’m not sure where it came from originally, but my dad has used it for years.
Katie Busenitz says
Briana, thank you. That poem and pictures moved me to tears.
Ronda says
Beautiful!! <3