Where Bitterness Is Broken & Forgiveness Is Found
BY CLARA SANDERS
"Worthy"
he does not deserve you
he did not deserve you
but there’s a thick sheet over his eyes
he’d be blinded by your light
if he only took the time to see it
but he chose to remain in the dark
unaware, without a spark
of life or love or gratefulness
too unstable, oh his life’s a mess
it’s not your fault he doesn’t see you
he did this to himself
you are worthy and valid and oh so loved
by your momma, your daddy, your father up above
so when you start to retreat to that island of sorrow
remember keep your head up
there’s joy in tomorrow
for your worth is not in anything of this world
you should know that you are cherished and loved and adored
by the Maker of heaven Himself
and what’s more?
He isn’t judgmental or critical or vain
He’s not like the others
you’re saved by His stain
He won’t overlook you
He won’t knock you down
He hates when you cry
He won’t let you drown
in your ocean of fear and regret and self-hate
He calls you His child
and it’s never too late
to look up and realize that you are worth more
you're called to a purpose
there’s so much in store
don’t let that boy hurt you
don’t let that girl tease
cry out to your savior
and fall on your knees
have mercy, forgiveness
be kind for no reason
be thankful and rest
it’s only a season
in life there are many
don’t ever forget
you’ve got more to accomplish
He’s not through with you yet
so when you come across another
and their eyes are wide shut
take time, settle down, be kind, but for what?
well they are just like you
longing for something more
they are scattered and burdened and possibly confused
they may know your savior but they’re too scared to try
to just calm down, relax, put their pride to the side
learn to be gentle
speak kindness and love
speak as your father is watching above
be patient, forgive, it’s the least you can do
for those mean boys and mean girls
know not what they do.
I want to start by saying, my intentions when starting this piece were not to take such a drastic turn from sadness and bitterness to joy and forgiveness.
Without going into detail, I can say that there have been times in my life where I have harbored bitterness. Recently this has happened.
I began this poem because the thoughts in my head were running wild with pain and anger. I decided to write down some thoughts, because I thought it might help. However, in the midst of my writing, my thoughts and words began to change.
I did not make a conscious decision to take a different route, but it turned out for the better. The spirit within me was able to look past my current situation and prompt me to be more kind and more gracious, forgiving others as well as myself.
I have a bad tendency to dwell on the negatives. This is something I still struggle with, but I’m working on it. (side note: it is perfectly okay to struggle, to have bad days, even bad months or bad years. Don’t beat yourself up about it AND don’t let other people beat you up about it or make you feel like you’re not good enough or that you’re behind the curve. This may be a topic of further discussion in a future blog :)... )
But anyway, in the midst of writing this poem, I think the spirit literally started to draw me out of that dark place and into the light. Like I said, I started out with bitterness, ended with forgiveness. And that is NOT at all the nature of humanity, which leads me to conclude that divine intervention is very real.
This entire message is just as much of an encouragement and lesson to me as it is to you. I like to think that the Holy Spirit intervenes for us and speaks up for us sometimes. In fact, I believe it’s Biblical that this does actually happen. Hold on, lemme check...
Okay YES, here it is: Romans 8:26-27 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”
The spirit speaks on our behalf. This is a real thing. And I think it just happened to me.
Now, on the topic of my poem itself, I think it’s pretty self explanatory. Be kind. Be gracious. Show love and mercy. Know that your worth does not lie in the hands of mere mortals but in the hands of an all-knowing God who loves you UNCONDITIONALLY and without a cause.
MEET THE WRITER
Tupelo-native Clara Sanders is pursuing a degree in Food Science as a junior at Mississippi State University. She enjoys cooking, painting, reading, and exploring human behavior and psychology.
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