I THANK MY FATHER


I ONLY EVER WALKED THE WAY I CHOSE,
ALWAYS IGNORING DAD’S PRECIOUS ADVICE,
KNOWING NONE OF IT EVER APPLIED TO ME,
NEVER HEEDING IT, EVEN UPON BEING TOLD THRICE.

I AGED SO QUICKLY AT THE COLLEGE I CHOSE,
HARD KNOCKS, I TOOK MY LUMPS,
I BEAT MYSELF ALL OVER, NEVER COULD WIN.
THE ROAD I HAD CHOSEN, WAS PAVED WITH BUMPS.

I SEEMED SO LONG TO ENJOY THIS PATH,
NEVER ONCE EVEN LOOKING BACK,
THEN ONE DAY I AWOKE IN DEEP PAIN,
FEELING SPIRITUALLY BLUE AND BLACK.

WHAT HAD I DONE, WHERE HAD I GONE,
WHY HAD I INSISTED ON THIS,
THIS WAS NO WONDERFUL ROAD TO FREEDOM,
IT LED STRAIGHT TO MY BLACK ABYSS.

MY STUBBORN WILL FULL OF PROMISE LIED,
AND HAD BETRAYED ME ALL ALONG,
AS I WAS BLINDED WITH MY EYES WIDE OPEN,
OBLIVIOUS TO MY OWN RIGHT AND WRONG.

THE EMOTIONAL PAIN WAS HORRID AND DARK,
AS I FELT MISERABLY WEAK AND ILL,
I BROKE MY OWN SPIRITUAL LEGS,
AND ON MY KNEES I FINALLY FELL.

AT THIS MOMENT I PONDERED DEEP WITHIN,
WHERE AND HOW HAD I GONE WRONG,
THEN I FELT AN OVWRPOWERING PRESENCE,
I KNEW FOR ONCE, I WAS REALLY NOT ALONE.

MY FATHER STOOD GRACIOUSLY BY MY SIDE,
PICKED ME UP AND BRUSHED ME CLEAN,
NURSED ME BACK TO SANITY AND STRENGTH,
ASKED IF ENOUGH HAD I SEEN?

I JUST NODDED YES,
IT WAS ALL THE ENERGY I HAD,
HE SMILED BACK AND THEN HE KNEW,
I WAS RETURNING FROM THE DEAD.

THIS MAN UNCONDITIONLY LOVED ME,
AFTER ALL TAHT I HAD DONE,
I BETRAYED ALL THAT HE REPRESENTED AND WAS,
BUT TO HIM I WAS JUST BEING HIS SON.

A LOVE I NEVER KNEW NOW EXISTED,
SOMEWHERE WITHIN ME NOW IT RESIDED,
AND NOW I UNDERSTOOD MY FATHER’S DEVOTION TO ME,
SO THAT WAS THE MOMENT WHEN I DECIDED.

IF I WANTED THE GOOD LIFE THAT HE OFFERED,
I WOULD SIMPLY FOLLOW HIS LEAD,
NEVER WITH HIM ARGUE BUT WORK INSTEAD,
JUST LISTENING TO HIM, I WOULD FAITHFULLY HEED.

THE EASIER SOFTER WAY,
THAT I COULD NEVER SEE THROUGH ALL MY YEARS,
WAS WHAT MY FATHER OFFERED ALL ALONG,
AND WITH HIM I CHOSE TO NEVER SHARE.

SO DELIVERED AM I TO A NEW AND WONDERFUL PLACE,
THIS PLACE WHERE I AM TODAY,
AND WITH MY FATHER I’LL LISTEN AND WORK,
I’LL REMAIN WITH HIM AND PRAY.


THANK YOU LORD.


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