My Prayer by Ethel Jenkins

O God,

you have sown seeds of love in my heart
but I have not watered it with my tears—
Lord forgive.

You have shown me hungry children
and I have fed only my friends—
Lord forgive.

You have shown me the homeless
and I have cared only for my own home—

Lord forgive.

You have shown me the naked
but I have only clothed myself—
Lord forgive.

You have shown me the wounded
and I have been only concerned with my own pain—

Lord forgive.

You have shown me the friendless
and I have nurtured my own friendships—

Lord forgive.

You have shown me the bereaved
and I have sought out others to comfort me—

Lord forgive.

You have shown me those who do not know your love
and I have failed to share that which you have given me—

Lord forgive and help me to obey.

From Geoffrey Duncan, ed., Dare to Dream: A Prayer and Worship Anthology from Around the World (Harper Collins, 1995), 57.