Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The Pharisee

"My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and be glad." Psalm 34:2

she holds her head up high
as if she’s someone special
and complains when others don’t notice

afraid that if they don't see
anything special about her
what they will see is that she is
really just a fraud
an imposter

pretending to be better
than she really is
not wanting others to know
that she is simply a sinner
like everybody else

waiting all day for praise that never comes
she fails to see the good that others do

perhaps a little kindness towards others
would go a long way toward building
true self-esteem, rather than false pride

instead of crying, “Look at me!”
she should be saying, “Look at them!
how wonderful they all are!"

Lord, open her heart to the good in others
break down her pride
and craving for attention

teach her your gentle humility
and remind her that You are the only reason to boast

"Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

5 comments:

  1. Thanks Anne. I pray the Jesus prayer often for I have and can still be that woman at times.
    Hugs & Blessings!

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  2. What a beautiful reminder that "He must increase, I must decrease." God is all, and we are nothing without Him. Blessed be God, and blessed be His Holy Name!

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  3. What a beautiful poem. May we boast of nothing but Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you Anne.

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  4. Our society seems to teach us to "sell ourselves" by climbing over others to do so. Nice reminder that we are not supposed to listen to this type of teaching but to God's who call us to be servants.

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