Few of us are as honest with ourselves as we ought to be, let alone with others. We all have faults and weaknesses that we prefer to keep hidden; aspects of our character that we’re embarrassed about, even ashamed of. We can conceal those to a point, but we know that they’re lurking within, and we fear they may some day be exposed. Happily, ours is a God who sees and loves us as we are; who know the worst of us and is always ready to forgive and forget. That’s the theme of the following short prayer, taken from my book The Little Book of Farmyard Animal Prayers, and reprinted in The Animal Lover’s Daily Prayer Book. (See here for more animal lovers’ prayers.)
I can pull the wool over some people’s eyes –
even my own –
but you, Lord, see and know me as I really am.
Teach me, then, to acknowledge my mistakes
and to trust in your forgiveness.
Amen.