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.