FORGIVENESS

The night that Jesus was betrayed
Religious leaders, led by Judas, came
To put to death the Son of God,
And beat and mock and curse His Holy Name.

Then Peter took a sword and slashed
An ear off one of the arresting men.
But Jesus showed compassion as
He touched the ear and made it whole again.

The angry mob was full of hate,
And mortal man could not their wrongs forgive.
But Jesus, with a heart of love,
Forgave their sins and died so they might live.

Sometimes it seems so hard for us
To show forgiveness when we’ve been betrayed.
We nurse our wounds, and in our minds
Our hurts are being constantly replayed.

The bitterness we feel inside
Within our bodies takes an awesome toll,
And like a canker eats away
Until it seems to harm our very soul.

Since we have been forgiven much,
Why does it seem so hard for us to show
That same forgiveness to the one
Who maybe doesn’t yet our Savior know?

The Lord has promised if we just
Forgive with love, and bitterness release,
He’ll heal, and take away our pain,
And fill our lives with inner joy and peace.

By Betty Jo Mings