My Great God above, Whose love stretches far
Gave me a choice contained in a jar.
To open it up and to look deep inside,
Or to leave it alone, forsaking my pride.
He told me to leave it, to keep it shut tight.
I promised I would. I knew it was right.
I chose to look up, look only at Him.
The jar, although present, sat silent & dim.
Yet, its presence enticed me, curiosity flared.
Where my eyes often glanced, my hand longed & then dared.
Interest to addiction, & although my heart fought,
I found my attention was irresistibly caught.
Before I knew it, before I knew how,
I’d opened the jar, I’d broken my vow.
My tormentors Anger, Despair, Fear, & Self-Doubt,
The terrors of Hate & Confusion flew out.
They rushed at my throat, streaming full tilt,
Proclaiming my shame, screaming my guilt.
My throat met their razors. My heart met their knife.
They sought to destroy me, to stifle my life.
And yet, the blame lay only on me.
I had let my demons run free.
Without a doubt, I knew I was the cause.
I was the one who had welcomed their claws.
I had opened the jar. I had peeled back the lid.
I only could be blamed for the thing that I did.
They poisoned my life, each action, each thought.
My very existence was the battle I fought.
They blinded my eyes. They woke up my fears.
They strangled my voice. They choked me to tears.
Their torment was just, for the choice that I’d made.
But, you see, I’d forgotten that my price had been paid.
My Great God above, Whose love stretches far
Had already defeated my sins in my jar.
I was fighting for nothing, making no gain,
Because I was striving in only my name.
I struggled to see, straining for sight.
I wallowed in sin, while rejecting the Light.
I chose to be deaf. I chose to be lame.
I chose to neglect my Great God’s Great Name.
My Great God above, Whose love reaches deep
Had woken me from sin-filled, feverish sleep.
He had called my name & called me out.
I drank of new life, instead of drought.
My eyes had been opened. My heart had been cleaned.
There was such a difference when love intervened.
My Great God had saved me from sin & from shame.
In the great Book of Life, He had written my name.
My ears & eyes opened. I now know the cost.
My Savior, in love, had gone to the cross.
I had victory in Christ, my Hope and my Lord.
Yet, I still chose to sin and to suffer once more.
I let my sins linger & rip me apart.
I let them throw daggers & darts at my heart.
They grasped for a win, ever gasping for more.
They had victory in battles, though they’d never win the war.
My Hope is my help, in my jar I retain it,
But, my Hope cannot help if I choose to restrain it.
The choice was to continue, to live in the shade,
Or to abandon completely, my choice & my grave.
Whenever I choose to, I can return,
To the punishments invited by my self-concern.
I can live in my grave, surrender my rights,
Choose to lose sight of the Great Light of lights.
My Great God above, Whose love stretches far,
Gave me a choice, contained in a jar.
I was wrong when I opened it, wrong to despair,
But my Great God, my Hope, hears every single prayer.
I can pray for help, pray for God’s helping hand.
He’ll move sins to the sea and place me on dry land.
My sins only trouble me each time I commit them,
But my sins only remain as long as I permit them.
I can choose to live in the past, committing crimes from before,
Or surrender choice & self to the Great God I adore.
