The Journey

A number of years ago, I wrote a poem entitled "The Journey".  While I thought of it then as a statement about my overall spiritual journey, I realize now that it also expresses a lot about my ongoing experiences of God's forgiveness--the realization that I have sinned, the confusion it has caused me, the act of repentance, and finally the joy of knowing that I am forgiven, loved by God, and able to move on in my journey on the Way of Christ.  I share it below as a Lenten meditation on the personal experience of God's forgiveness and on God's unfathomable love for each of us.


Oh Lord, I fall, I leap, I fall again,
afraid to let Your Spirit draw me in,
too tired to drink, though standing at the well,
too proud to cry, "Your will and not my will."

Oh Lord, I weep, I laugh, I weep again,
too self-absorbed to let you take my sin;
so caught up in this web of indecision
that I prefer my blindness to Your vision.

Oh Lord, at last, I leap, I laugh, I see,
and know the Way that truly sets me free;
for to my brokenness Your Spirit brings
the gift of Love, and in that Love
my spirit finds its wings.

 - Stephanie Stover