Two poems, one very old, from the Bible, and my response in verse:

-o0o-

For it is not an enemy who taunts me—
    then I could bear it;
it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—
    then I could hide from him.
But it is you, a man, my equal,
    my companion, my familiar friend.
We used to take sweet counsel together;
    within God’s house we walked in the throng. (Psalm 55:12-14)

-o0o-

Betrayed

Betrayed by a kiss,
Yet he does not condemn.
Betrayed and taken away into the night.
The sad thing about Judas is he did not live to hear the words
“Father, forgive.”

Denied, denied and denied again
Yet he does condemn.
In that look, that glance
Is love.
And another chance, another chance and another chance.

Betrayal and denial are part of life,
When we are betrayed, stabbed in the back,
When we are denied, or taken for granted
By a friend, someone we trusted
We condemn because it hurts.
We condemn our Judases.
We condemn our Peters.
We bear grudges
Until those grudges are too much to bear.

Unlike Jesus, who did not condemn,
Who did not condemn.
Who reached out in love,
Who reached out in love.
Instead of bearing grudges he bore the sins of the whole world.

LORD JESUS, MAKE ME MORE LIKE YOU.