Sometimes
when I pray the Our Father
I wonder
whether I condemn myself
by the words I speak –
“Forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those
who trespass against us”.

I try really hard
to be a good Christian
and I do my best
to forgive.
Then, out of the blue,
I meet someone
who has wronged me
in the past,
someone whom I believed
I had forgiven
and my heart instantly fills
with resentment.

Then I think
that if God’s forgiveness
mirrors my own meagre efforts,
I’m doomed!

Lord,
help me to forgive others
so that, when I pray the Our Father,
I may not have that sinking feeling
that I have just been condemned
out of my own mouth.

© Claire Murray, 10th February 2018