We live in dark, dark times
but sometimes we see a light
shining in the darkness.
Just a wee, tiny light,
all on its own –
but don’t they say
that a candle in the dark
can be seen
from miles away,
shining every bit as brightly
as a star in the sky?

Thank You, Lord,
for the men and women of courage
who light up
the darkness of these times.
They’ll never know
how much hope and comfort
their light brings
to those who find themselves
enveloped by the darkness.

© Claire Murray, 7th October 2023

As I pray this morning
about forgiveness
the words of a song
pop into my head.

“I get knocked down
but I get up again.
You’re never going
to keep my down!”

I struggle with forgiveness,
you see.
I mean to forgive
and I believe that I have forgiven.
Then,
somebody says something
and in that instant
a memory of that incident
fills my mind
and I find,
to my disappointment,
that the resentment
remains.

This can happen
days, weeks, months
or even decades
after the event.

I can’t speak for others
but I feel that, in my case,
forgiveness is a decision.
Not a decision
that I get to make
once and for all,
but one that I have to make
repeatedly
every single time
that a resentful memory
comes to mind.

Lord,
give me the grace
to make the decision to forgive
as many times
as it takes
so that I too may say,
just like the song,
“I get knocked
but I get up again!”

© Claire Murray, 10th November 2022