WOW – Confession and Forgiveness

I Confess

—by Howard Thurman

The concern which I lay bare before God today is

My concern for the life of the world in these troubled times.

I confess my own inner confusion as I look out upon the world.

There is food for all – many are hungry.

There are clothes enough for all – many are in rags.

There is room enough for all – many are crowded.

There are none who want war – preparations for conflict abound.

I confess my own share in the ills of the times.

I have shirked my own responsibilities as a citizen.

I have not been wise in casting my ballot.

I have left to others a real interest in making

a public opinion worthy of democracy.

I have been concerned about my own little job,

my own little security, my own shelter, my own bread.

I have not really cared about jobs for others,

security for others, shelter for others, bread for others.

I have not worked for peace; I want peace,

but I have voted and worked for war.

I have silenced my own voice that it may not

be heard on the side of any cause, however, right,

if it meant running risks or damaging my own little reputation.

Let Thy light burn in me that I may, from this moment on,

take effective steps within my own powers,

to live up to the light and courageously to pay for

the kind of world I so deeply desire.

“The more we mindfully observe what is, the more beauty comes into focus. … From that space of quiet listening, we may perceive what is ours to do and tap into the vitality we need to do it. We take up our birthright of belonging and, in the spirit of the mystical Jewish teaching of tikkun olam, we mend the broken world and restore wholeness to the web of interbeing.” –Mirabai Starr

Welcome to Day 27 of the Wonders of Worship (WOW) series. Today we ponder the Confession and Forgiveness.

Ways to Engage:

Practice Visio Divina (receive, reflect, respond, rest) with the painting.
Download the B&W image. Color it on your own or with a friend. Color in silence or while reading I Confess line by line, pausing when you need time for reflection. Let it inspire further contemplation/conversation.
You do you. Trust your intuition and engage in the way your heart desires.

To download the black and white image for personal use: on a computer, click and drag the image to your desktop; on a phone, press on the picture until it gives you the option to save it to your photos. The image is formatted to fit on an 8.5″x11″ piece of paper, but feel free to print it whatever size you’d like.

Background: I created a series of forty 5″x7″ watercolor paintings inspired by the elements of worship. It was work commissioned by a project with Nourishing Vocation with Children at St. Olaf College, a program funded through Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative.

As the paintings are shared, you may notice a pattern: