The Good News

One day, alone in my room,

I think of the things in my life

I am especially thankful for,

the things that I am proud of.

Then I turn to the things I regret

and wish had never happened,

especially my sins.

When I am thus engaged, Jesus Christ walks in.

His presence brings the sweetest joy and peace.

I tell Him some of the things about my life that I regret.

He stops me with the words,

“That is all forgiven dan forgotten.

Do you know that love keeps no record of wrongs?” (1 Cor. 13:5).

The He goes on to say,

“In fact, your wrongs have not just been forgiven.

They have even been converted into grace.

Have you never been told

that where the sin was great,

grace was greater still?” (Rom. 5:21)

This seems too good to be true

for my poor fearful heart!

Then I hear him say, “I am so pleased with you,

so grateful to you.”

I begin to protest that there is nothing in my life

that He can be so pleased about or grateful for.

He says, “Surely you would be grateful beyond words

to anyone who did for you

even a small part of what you did for me?

Do you think I have less of a heart than you?”

So I lean back

and allow the impact of His words to hit me,

rejoicing in my heart

that I have such a God as He.

Anthony de Mello – “Wellsprings”